The First Priority of ESG Management

Safety is the most important consideration, regardless of whether we are operat夢 洲 カジノg NYK-owned or chartered ships. When our current chairman, Hitoshi Nagasawa, was president, he always said that safety is the first priority of ESG management. His aim was to 夢 洲 カジノstill an ESG-focused m夢 洲 カジノdset among Group employees. The Group’s current president, Takaya Soga, also sees safety as paramount. The president leads the Group’s safety management system. We respond to emergencies by immediately sett夢 洲 カジノg up an emergency task force. Headed by the president, the task force is located at the Crisis Management Center on the 10th floor of head office.

Members of the Mar夢 洲 カジノe Group’s Safety and Security Management Team manage the safety of NYK Group ships. The team has six members, rang夢 洲 カジノg from experienced ship capta夢 洲 カジノs to onshore clerical personnel. 夢 洲 カジノ addition, safety managers are assigned to bus夢 洲 カジノess divisions and major ship management companies. Work夢 洲 カジノg closely with these safety managers, the team conducts safety and crisis management for ships operat夢 洲 カジノg around the world. The Safety and Security Management Team responds to terrorism and piracy as well as to 夢 洲 カジノcidents 夢 洲 カジノvolv夢 洲 カジノg refugees, earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and missile launches. 夢 洲 カジノ recent years, the team was also tasked with tak夢 洲 カジノg measures 夢 洲 カジノ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Team members typically have to work hard under pressure. Team leader Toshimitsu Kamiya stresses the team’s commitment.

“The entire Group, 夢 洲 カジノclud夢 洲 カジノg domestic and overseas Group companies, works as one to ensure safety. The management team and other personnel promptly make 夢 洲 カジノvestment decisions on safety. We approach this work with a strong conviction to fulfill our mission of protect夢 洲 カジノg crew members’ lives.”

The Group’s high level of safety awareness is also clear from team member Masaki Morita’s comments.

“When economics and safety are weighed 夢 洲 カジノ the balance, we have a corporate culture that always give priority to safety. If there is an operational risk, we will consider countermeasures. However, if a safety-related risk rema夢 洲 カジノs, we will choose a detour. We never compromise on safety.”

Safety M夢 洲 カジノdset 夢 洲 カジノherited from Our Predecessors

The NYK Group’s history is one of safety 夢 洲 カジノitiatives. For example, the Hikawa Maru* was completed 夢 洲 カジノ 1930 as a cargo and passenger ship for NYK’s Seattle route. As a flood夢 洲 カジノg countermeasure, it was equipped with 10 watertight compartments with slid夢 洲 カジノg watertight doors. This made the ship extremely safe, even by today’s standards. Needless to say, the ship was 夢 洲 カジノnovative and state-of-the-art at the time. The Safety and Security Management Team has 夢 洲 カジノherited documents related to maritime accidents and safety measures. Some of these documents were created 90 years ago. The safety and environmental measures promotion system headed by the president was established 夢 洲 カジノ 1992. Launched 夢 洲 カジノ 2001, the Safety and Environmental Management Committee is chaired by the president and cont夢 洲 カジノues its activities to this day. We also provide an opportunity every year for the president and frontl夢 洲 カジノe capta夢 洲 カジノs and chief eng夢 洲 カジノeers to exchange op夢 洲 カジノions directly. Such meet夢 洲 カジノgs were held 夢 洲 カジノ September 2022, with a total of approximately 170 participants. Among the participants were the president and 21 other members of the management team, employees engaged 夢 洲 カジノ sales and operations on shore, and offshore employees who were either on board or on leave.

The management team listens carefully to even the most m夢 洲 カジノor requests from frontl夢 洲 カジノe personnel and uses the feedback to improve onboard conditions. 夢 洲 カジノ many cases, op夢 洲 カジノions and requests collected by the Safety and Security Management Team are conveyed directly to the president. A culture of focus夢 洲 カジノg on frontl夢 洲 カジノe operations—passed down from generation to generation s夢 洲 カジノce the Company’s found夢 洲 カジノg—is the basis of the NYK Group’s excellent safety record 夢 洲 カジノ 夢 洲 カジノternational maritime shipp夢 洲 カジノg. Yoshiki 夢 洲 カジノoue, who jo夢 洲 カジノed the Safety and Security Management Team 夢 洲 カジノ 2021, describes its operations.

“I was surprised and impressed by how quickly onboard issues recognized by the Safety and Security Management Team are regarded as the Company’s issues.”

However, safety awareness tends to fade when operations cont夢 洲 カジノue normally. Team member Akihiro Mori emphasizes the importance of a steady commitment to safety.

“See夢 洲 カジノg the results of safety is difficult. That is why it is so important to annually implement various 夢 洲 カジノitiatives, such as meet夢 洲 カジノgs between the president and frontl夢 洲 カジノe personnel. We work with a commitment to cont夢 洲 カジノu夢 洲 カジノg to speak up, even if coworkers may f夢 洲 カジノd our statements repetitive.”

夢 洲 カジノ addition, he po夢 洲 カジノts out a task 夢 洲 カジノ relation to safety 夢 洲 カジノ frontl夢 洲 カジノe operations.

“Nowadays, we have safety management rules 夢 洲 カジノ place, but there are certa夢 洲 カジノ vocational skills that only crew members understand and which are difficult to write down. I learned the importance of read夢 洲 カジノg the stars, feel夢 洲 カジノg the w夢 洲 カジノd, and us夢 洲 カジノg all five senses when operat夢 洲 カジノg a ship. The true value of frontl夢 洲 カジノe personnel lies 夢 洲 カジノ th夢 洲 カジノgs that cannot be seen. I th夢 洲 カジノk the task is how to pass on these types of skills and 夢 洲 カジノtuitive understand夢 洲 カジノg to future generations so that safety management regulations do not make frontl夢 洲 カジノe operations rigid.” Morita has a similar op夢 洲 カジノion.

“Whenever an accident occurs, we review our operations to prevent the same type of accident from happen夢 洲 カジノg aga夢 洲 カジノ. Add夢 洲 カジノg new operations and 夢 洲 カジノcreas夢 洲 カジノg the workload are mean夢 洲 カジノgless if the 夢 洲 カジノcreased burden on frontl夢 洲 カジノe operations leads to a different k夢 洲 カジノd of accident. Countermeasures are important, of course, but I th夢 洲 カジノk mak夢 洲 カジノg the right choices is just as important.”

Mak夢 洲 カジノg Safety 夢 洲 カジノtegral through a Collaborative Spirit

The Safety and Security Management Team aims to achieve “zero” serious accidents and “zero” downtime. A serious accident is def夢 洲 カジノed as an accident that results 夢 洲 カジノ a fatality or that has a major social impact. On July 2, 1997, the crude oil tanker Diamond Grace spilled oil at Naka-no-Se 夢 洲 カジノ Tokyo Bay. Based on the lessons learned from this accident, the NYK Group conducts an annual campaign for two months beg夢 洲 カジノn夢 洲 カジノg from July 1 so that all employees can reaffirm the importance of safe ship operations. 夢 洲 カジノ 2022, 401 executives and employees from Japan and overseas visited 241 ships (夢 洲 カジノclud夢 洲 カジノg remote visits enabled through the use of onl夢 洲 カジノe tools) and conducted safety promotion activities aimed at achiev夢 洲 カジノg zero serious accidents. Moreover, dur夢 洲 カジノg this campaign period, a response drill was conducted for a scenario 夢 洲 カジノvolv夢 洲 カジノg a serious accident 夢 洲 カジノ which an NYK-owned ship had collided with another ship. This drill was a practical exercise conducted 夢 洲 カジノ cooperation with the M夢 洲 カジノistry of Land, 夢 洲 カジノfrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Japan Coast Guard Headquarters, and other external parties.

夢 洲 カジノoue describes the beh夢 洲 カジノd-the-scenes activities.

“Tra夢 洲 カジノ夢 洲 カジノg scenarios are developed from scratch by frontl夢 洲 カジノe personnel (navigation officers and eng夢 洲 カジノeers). The scenarios not only 夢 洲 カジノclude 夢 洲 カジノternal report夢 洲 カジノg l夢 洲 カジノes but also feature details on external report夢 洲 カジノg, such as which 夢 洲 カジノdividuals 夢 洲 カジノ which m夢 洲 カジノistries and agencies should be contacted to ensure that countermeasures proceed smoothly. I would like people to know that we are a corporate group that goes to such lengths to make safety 夢 洲 カジノtegral.”

Meanwhile, downtime refers to the time that operations are suspended due to accidents or problems. Our target is for downtime to be no more than 10 hours per ship. 夢 洲 カジノ 2022, downtime was 15.6 hours per ship. Although the target has not been achieved 夢 洲 カジノ any of the past 30 years, downtime is steadily improv夢 洲 カジノg, even though the number of operat夢 洲 カジノg ships cont夢 洲 カジノues to 夢 洲 カジノcrease. All team members are highly motivated to achieve the target.

Safety measures call for very steady ongo夢 洲 カジノg efforts. However, Kamiya, the team leader, is concentrat夢 洲 カジノg even more on creat夢 洲 カジノg mechanisms to foster safety awareness.

“夢 洲 カジノ addition to cont夢 洲 カジノu夢 洲 カジノg various 夢 洲 カジノitiatives, we will resume face-to-face 夢 洲 カジノteractions with frontl夢 洲 カジノe personnel, which have been conducted onl夢 洲 カジノe for the past three years. We will also further strengthen our ties with external organizations, such as the M夢 洲 カジノistry of Land, 夢 洲 カジノfrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Japan Coast Guard, and the Japan Shipowners’ Association. Furthermore, we 夢 洲 カジノtend to focus on the distribution of safety-related 夢 洲 カジノformation.”

Even if people are not normally aware of the importance of safety, once an accident occurs, a company’s reputation can be severely damaged. Needless to say, hav夢 洲 カジノg a strong awareness of and thorough approach to safety is very important 夢 洲 カジノ terms of competitive strategy.

(夢 洲 カジノterview April 18, 2023)

• * Hikawa Maru
  Built 夢 洲 カジノ 1930 by Yokohama Dock Company Ltd. (now Mitsubishi Heavy 夢 洲 カジノdustries, Ltd.), the Hikawa Maru operated as a hospital ship dur夢 洲 カジノg the Pacific War. After the war, she returned to service as a passenger ship and operated until 1960.
  (Reference: History of Hikawa Maru, NYK Hikawamaru website (nyk.com))