NYK and NYK Group company Asahi Unyu Kaisha, Ltd. will donate 1.5 million yen and 500,000 yen, respectively, to the city of Nishio for environmental conservation on Sakushima in Aichi Prefecture. A ceremony recognizing the donation was held on February 5 at the Nishio city office. This is the third consecutive year that the NYK Group has made a donation to Nishio City.

Sakushima is a remote island in Mikawa Bay surrounded by the Chita and Atsumi peninsulas. Since 2023, NYK Group employees have been participating in volunteer activities to plant eelgrass* seedlings to support environmental conservation in the Mikawa Bay area, where many vessels enter and leave port.

The grants will be used mainly for research and restoration activities related to seaweed bed cultivation and the cultivation of eelgrass seedlings. Seaweed beds, often called the “cradle of the sea,” improve water quality and serve as a place for eggs and growth.

At the ceremony, Nishio Mayor Ken Nakamura expressed his gratitude, commenting, “We are very proud that the long-term seaweed bed restoration activities on Sakushima have finally borne fruit this year in the form of the acquisition of blue carbon credit certification, and we will use the donation in our future activities.”

The NYK Group will continue actively engaging in environmental conservation, such as marine environment and biodiversity preservation activities.

* Eelgrass
Distributed in the temperate and subarctic zones of the Northern Hemisphere, eelgrass is a seagrass that plays a major role in purifying seawater, supplying oxygen, and providing a home for a wide variety of sea life.