On October 23, NYK held its annual roundtable discussion led by NYK president Takaya Soga, executive officers, captains, and chief engineers on current conditions and issues on board vessels.

This meeting was held at the NYK head office in Tokyo in a hybrid format (virtually and in person) and attended by more than 150 participants, including three captains and three chief engineers on leave, the captain and chief engineer on board the car carrier Iris Leader, the captain aboard the crude oil tanker Tensho, 22 executive officers, and staff involved in operations such as sales and operations. They engaged in a lively exchange of opinions on a wide range of topics, including ship-to-shore communications, crew safety, personnel and labor issues, safe vessel operation, and training for officers and engineers.

This meeting is part of NYK’s Remember Naka-no-Se safety campaign* and is chaired by NYK president Takaya Soga, who oversees NYK’s Safety and Environmental Management Committee.** The gathering allows top management to exchange opinions directly with captains and chief engineers and further develop practical measures with respect to the safe operation of vessels.

Participants asked many questions and offered opinions about operational issues and recommendations regarding the prevention of onboard accidents, among other topics, as well as the use of Starlink, a satellite communication service operated by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) and installed on the two participating ships. Soga commented, "We recognize that with the advancement of the ship’s DX, ship-to-shore communications play an important role in crew safety management and safe ship operation. We would like to continue discussions with the management team to realize as much as possible the requests and suggestions from the field that were presented today.”

The NYK Group will continue to promote smooth ship-to-shore communication and ensure crew safety management and safe vessel operations, which are the cornerstones of business continuity.

* Remember Naka-no-Se Safety Campaign
To ensure that the lessons learned from the Diamond Grace oil spill in July 1997 remain fresh, NYK conducts a two-month safety campaign every year from July 1. During this period, top management at NYK reconfirms the importance of safe operations with all NYK employees.

** Safety and Environmental Management Committee
NYK’s highest decision-making body related to safety measures and environmental issues. The committee was established in April 2004 and is chaired by the president.

On March 10, 2023, the NYK Group released its medium-term management plan “Sail Green, Drive Transformations 2026 — A Passion for Planetary Wellbeing.” The NYK Group is promoting growth strategies with ESG at the core, based on the Group’s mission statement of “Bringing value to life” and a new corporate vision for 2030, which reads, “we go beyond the scope of a comprehensive global logistics enterprise to co-create value required for the future by advancing our core business and growing new ones.”