On December 5, a Belgian delegation of about 20 representatives led by Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid visited the NYK head office in Tokyo. The group included Jan Jambon, minister-president of the government of Flanders and Flemish minister for Foreign Policy, Culture, ICT and Facility Management; Annick De Ridder, president of the Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority; and Dirk De fauw, vice president of the Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority. From NYK, the event was attended by Chairman Tadaaki Naito and President Hitoshi Nagasawa, among others.

In his greeting, Chairman Naito spoke about the many years of history between the NYK Group and Belgium. He talked about the Group's activities in Belgium and stressed that NYK will continue its efforts to contribute to the future development of the country. To end his address, he emphasized, “We cherish friendships, but we especially cherish old friendships. We recognize that Belgium has become a very old friend to NYK, and we thank you for the enduring support and good will that we have been so fortunate to receive for so many years.”

President Nagasawa explained the NYK Group's ESG management and the group’s efforts to achieve net-zero GHG emissions from oceangoing vessels by 2050.

NYK has been an active part of the Belgian economy for more than 125 years — ever since the company opened its first European shipping route in 1896. More recently, in 2017, the world's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel, ENGIE Zeebrugge (now Green Zeebrugge), began providing LNG bunkering in Zeebrugge, and in 2021, NYK subsidiary International Car Operators N.V.* (ICO) began operation of Flanders’ largest onshore wind farm featuring 11 wind turbines installed at ICO’s finished-vehicle logistics terminal in Zeebrugge. In recognition of the strong relationship forged over the years, Chairman Naito was conferred the Commander in the Order of the Crown of Belgium last year.　

The NYK Group will continue its push forward as a comprehensive logistics company linking Belgium with Japan and Europe with the rest of the world.

* International Car Operators N.V. (ICO)
ICO, a wholly owned NYK subsidiary company headquartered in Zeebrugge, Belgium, operates terminals for finished vehicles in the ports of Zeebrugge and Antwerp, two important hubs for importing and exporting finished vehicles in Europe. In addition to its cargo handling service, ICO provides value-added services such as inspection before car delivery and installation of accessories.
Website: http://www.icoterminals.com/en