On September 10 and 11, NYK hosted its annual Dry Bulk Safety Conference at the Imabari Regional Industry Promotion Center in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture. This longstanding event, held each year since 2010, is dedicated to ensuring the safe operation of dry bulk vessels. This year’s conference attracted 155 participants representing 32 Japanese shipowners and ship-management companies, in addition to representatives from ClassNK* and Synergy Marine Group,** a ship-management company.

The conference included a review of past accidents and troubles and their responses, as well as an overview of our sustainability activities. In addition, the 2025 NYK Dry Bulk Award was presented to 14 vessels for exemplary performance during Port State Control*** inspections and maintaining a record of minimal accidents and issues.

ClassNK delivered a lecture introducing its requirements and the roles of the Designated Person Ashore (DPA) under the International Safety Management (ISM) Code, as well as internal audits. ClassNK also introduced "ClassNK Customer Hub — Ship in Service," which supports digital transformation (DX) for shipowners and ship-management companies. Additionally, they presented the "Guidelines for Advanced Ship Management" issued in April 2025, addressing the increasing complexity and diminishing effectiveness of safety management system (SMS) manuals.

Synergy Marine Group shared a video message from its founder and chairperson, Rajesh Unni, in which he discussed his views on the future of the maritime industry and how shipowners and ship-management companies should respond to the evolving environment surrounding the dry bulk sector. Following the video, Unni participated in a live online Q&A session, fostering meaningful engagement with the participants.

The NYK Group remains committed to promoting safety awareness among its partners and pursuing initiatives that ensure continuous safe operations.


* ClassNK is a classification society with over 125 years of history and a global presence at more than 130 locations. As a neutral third party, it establishes technical rules for ships and conducts inspections, granting classification status required for insuring commercial vessels. Today, over 9,000 vessels are registered under ClassNK, making it the world’s largest classification society by number of ships.
In addition, ClassNK is authorized by more than 100 flag States to carry out statutory surveys and audits on their behalf, based on international conventions such as the ISM Code and various regional regulations. Leveraging the expertise gained through these services, ClassNK also provides information, digital tools, and training programs to support effective ship management.

** Synergy Marine Group
Established in 2006 in Singapore. Synergy Marine Group has a network of 31 offices across 15 countries and employs over 28,000 seafarers. The company manages a fleet of more than 700 vessels, including LNG carriers (including FSUs), LPG carriers, container ships over 20,000 TEU, oil and chemical tankers, and bulk carriers. Synergy places strong emphasis on seafarers’ welfare, digitalization, and environmentally responsible policies.

*** Port State Control
An on-site inspection of foreign vessels calling at a port.