NYK has made the decision to open a branch office in April in the city of Akita in Japan’s northern Tohoku region. Of the current domestic offices, the Akita branch will be the first in the Tohoku region and the fifth within the country, joining the Yokohama, Nagoya, Kansai and Kyushu branches.

NYK signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Akita Prefecture on February 8. The company will continue to cooperate in promoting renewable energy businesses, including offshore wind power generation, and developing related human resources in addition to shipping and port industry businesses. Furthermore, NYK and Akita Prefecture have decided to comprehensively cooperate in regional revitalization, such as regional promotion and environmental conservation.

In recent years, the sea areas of Aomori, Yamagata, and Niigata prefectures, which are adjacent to Akita prefecture, have been selected as "Promising Sea Areas" based on Japan’s Act of Promoting Utilization of Sea Areas in Development of Power Generation Facilities Using Maritime Renewable Energy Resources,* so the expansion of offshore wind power generation in each sea area is expected in the future.

NYK decided to set up a branch in Akita prefecture, which has traditionally been an important area for the NYK Group, because it is adjacent to those "Promising Sea Areas" and visited by NYK Group-related vessels and the cruise ship Asuka II.** We will also make it a new base for the NYK Group in the Tohoku region and neighboring prefectures.

NYK will strengthen its sales structure and relationships with related parties in each prefecture in offshore wind power generation related businesses, such as those involving offshore geotechnical investigation vessels,*** crew transfer vessels (CTV),**** and offshore wind installation vessels.*****

<Overview of Akita branch>
・ Name: NYK Line Akita Branch
・ Location: Akita City, Akita Prefecture
・ Scheduled business commence date: April 1, 2022

Details such as location and contact information will be announced after the official decision.

On February 3, 2021, NYK released the NYK Group ESG Story, which aims to further integrate ESG into the company’s management strategy and promotes activities that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) through business activities. To strongly promote ESG management, the NYK Group will make the Akita branch one of its new bases and encourage new value creation as a sustainable solution provider.

NYK Group ESG Story
A guideline detailing concrete efforts to integrate ESG into management strategies of the NYK Group. Details: https://www.nyk.com/english/news/2021/esg-story_01.html

* Act of Promoting Utilization of Sea Areas in Development of Power Generation Facilities Using Maritime Renewable Energy Resources
A law that allows the Japanese government to designate promising sea areas for promoting offshore wind power generation projects and allow power generation companies selected by public offering to occupy the sea area for up to 30 years.

** Asuka II
A cruise ship operated by NYK Cruises Co., Ltd., an NYK affiliate

*** Offshore geotechnical investigation vessel
A vessel that can carry out ground surveys such as the cone penetration test required for the design of foundation structures for offshore wind power generation facilities.

**** Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV)
Vessels that transport technicians safely and comfortably to and from sites during offshore wind power construction and maintenance. These vessels are built for highspeed operation and come equipped with stability equipment that allows crews to safely transfer to and from the offshore wind farms.

***** Offshore wind installation vessels
Vessels used for the transport and installation of both the foundations and the wind turbines for offshore wind farms. Installation vessels are equipped with a large crane and jack-up legs. The vessel places its legs into the seabed and will jacks the hull of the vessel out of the water. This creates a stable working platform for the crane to perform the installation activities.

Animated video of offshore installation vessel Aeolus (Courtesy of Van Oord)

Offshore installation vessel Aeolus - How does it work from Van Oord on Vimeo.