On August 26, NYK president Hitoshi Nagasawa addressed the below statement in response to the grounding of Crimson Polaris that occurred off the coast of Hachinohe on August 11.


On August 11, the Wood-Chip Carrier Crimson Polaris chartered from an affiliate of Doun Kisen Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the “Shipowner”) ran aground off the coast of Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture, causing the hull to split and some of the oil to spill from the Vessel’s fuel tanks.

Currently, the Shipowner, together with the ship-management company Misuga Kaiun Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the “Ship-management Company”) , is working to minimize the damage caused by the oil spill and bring the situation to a timely conclusion through the assistance by other related parties. The Shipowner is primarily responsible for responding to accidents such as oil spills, but as the charterer, we have also been providing maximum cooperation to the response, including dispatching company personnel to gather the information involved with the incident utilizing our company’s network and materials and dispatching personnel to assist the shoreside clean-up operation. We intend to continue these efforts. Under the direction of the Maritime Disaster Prevention Center, the local cleaning operations have already commenced with the measures against COVID-19 in place.

Concerning the environmental damage caused by the oil spill, we are working together with the other related parties to provide assistance for the recovery. After assessing the full impact of the oil spill and through consultations with relevant professionals, we will take solid actions in the light of our social responsibility.

As we continue to promote ESG management, our top priority is safe operations aimed at protecting crew members’ lives and the environment, and it is our social value. We will continue to provide the Shipowner, the Ship-management Company and other related parties with assistance to quickly resolve the incident, and we ask for your understanding and support.