On May 30, NYK held an opening ceremony for its new Akita branch at the Akita Castle Hotel in Akita city.

The Akita branch was opened on April 1 and is the first new NYK branch to be opened in Japan in 59 years — ever since the establishment of NYK’s Sapporo branch* in 1963. To commemorate the opening, NYK invited Akita prefecture governor Norihisa Satake and other related parties inside and outside of Akita prefecture to the opening ceremony. NYK president Hitoshi Nagasawa welcomed everyone, commenting, "We are very pleased to hold this opening ceremony with guests from inside and outside of Akita prefecture. We are planning to introduce crew transfer vessels (CTV),** offshore wind installation vessels,*** and offshore geotechnical investigation vessels**** to be of service to offshore wind power generation. We hope to take the first step toward the realization of a decarbonized society from our new Akita branch.”

On the day prior to the ceremony, NYK held a business matching seminar aimed at deepening connections with companies in Akita prefecture. At the seminar, NYK and nine NYK Group companies***** provided overviews of their business activities. The seminar also generated opportunities to exchange business cards and begin business discussions.

At the opening ceremony and the business matching seminar, measures against COVID-19 infection, such as temperature measurement, disinfection, and social distancing, were implemented.

On February 8, NYK concluded a comprehensive partnership agreement with Akita Prefecture for collaboration in Akita prefecture in the fields of promotion and nurturing of human resources for the renewable-energy business, nurturing ship-related human resources, utilization of ports, promotion of tourism, environmental preservation, and regional revitalization, among others.

Using this opening ceremony and matching seminar as an opportunity, NYK will further strengthen its sales structure for offshore wind power generation related businesses in Akita and neighboring prefectures and expand networks with related parties in each prefecture.

In February 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 through business activities. In March this year, NYK released the updated “NYK Group ESG Story 2022,” which introduces initiatives for integrating ESG into the Group’s management strategies set forth in the "NYK Group ESG Story" and provides a partial explanation of the Group’s sustainable growth strategy from a long-term perspective. To strongly promote ESG management, NYK will continue to create new value as a sustainable solution provider.

<The 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

<The NYK Group ESG Story 2022>
Details: https://www.nyk.com/english/news/2022/20220324_01.html

Name: NYK Line Akita Branch
Representative: Tatsuya Shimomura, General Manager
Location: 2^nd Floor, Crosse Akita, 2-5-1 Nakadori, Akita City, Akita Prefecture

* The Sapporo branch was closed in 2009.

** 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 the foundations and the wind turbines used 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 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.

**** 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.

Announcement on November 16, 2020, "NYK Agrees to MoU with Fugro on Partnership in Offshore Geotechnical Investigation Vessel Business for Offshore Wind Power Generation Systems"

***** List of NYK Group companies that participated in the business matching seminar (in presentation order)