Over its 45-year history, the Group's Automotive Business organization has made quality control its top priority. That means keeping the automobiles free of even the slightest damage. As the loading and unloading processes involve actually driving the cars onto and off the car carrier, personnel need to do everything - from driving to opening and closing the doors - with the utmost care. To ensure optimal safety, then, cargo-handling companies, onshore managers, and all the other relevant parties have to work together.
The Group's safe cargo work promotion committees,^* in place at companies both in Japan and overseas, help meet that need by improving overall awareness of safety-related issues.

1. *Safe cargo work promotion committees
   Safe cargo work promotion committees are made up of members from group companies inside and outside Japan, including companies that supervise operations in each region of the world. The committees promote safe work procedures, share information on best practices and accidents, and organize problem-solving workshops, among other activities.

The Group's bulk carrier business has released a digital version of its "Essential-15"^* safe cargo operation guidelines for the high quality transport of dry bulk business cargo. The new, multilingual version includes digital animations and replaces the previous version, which was a paper document. NYK has distributed the updated guidelines to about 180 NYK-operated bulk carriers through shipowners and shipmanagement companies.

1. *Essential-15
   The "Essential-15" safe cargo operation guidelines were created by selecting 15 items considered to be indispensable for safe cargo operations. Officers and operators of capsize and panamax bulk carriers, among other bulkers, make use of the guidelines to prevent serious accidents during cargo handling.