NYK President Discusses Safe Ship Operations with Captains and Engineers (Japan)

NYK president Yasumi Kudo and executive officers held a meeting with six captains and chief engineers at the NYK headquarters in Tokyo on August 20.

This meeting was a part of the Remember Naka-no-Se Safety Campaign that NYK conducts every July. President Kudo chairs NYK’s Safety and Environmental Management Committee, which oversees the safe operation of the NYK fleet, and he holds the meeting to hear directly from captains and chief engineers working on the front line of operations and to encourage the implementation of practical, workable activities.

During the meeting, proposals for safe operations and fuel-saving activities were offered by the captains and chief engineers. In addition, issues facing seafarer training and initiatives to mitigate environmental loads were discussed in depth for two hours.

During the campaign period, the NYK Group conducts activities intensively to help related parties refocus on the importance of safety. The activities include NYK Group members, including NYK executives, visiting vessels to deepen communication between onboard crew and onshore staff by exchanging opinions about safe ship operations and holding safety meetings with shipowners and ship-management companies. A crisis-response drill was also held and a mock press conference separately to help practice mobilizing a quick response to a serious accident.

NYK continues to make efforts to further deepen the mutual understanding between onshore and ship staff, and promote the establishment of safer ship-operation systems within the group.

 Remember Naka-no-Se Safety Campaign

A two-month annual campaign started in an effort to learn from the mistakes that led to a 1997 oil spill from an NYK VLCC when the vessel touched bottom at Naka-no-Se in Tokyo Bay. From July, the month the incident occurred, top management and other staff visit NYK-operated ships to ensure the implementation of safe ship operations.

 Safety and Environmental Management Committee

Supreme decision-making body that monitors activities on safety measures and environmental issues. The committee was established in April 2001 as a cross-sectional organization chaired by the president.

[mappress]

NYK, August 22, 2013