NYK has been recognized for the company’s participation in the Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies vessel speed reduction (VSR) incentive program along the West Coast of North America conducted by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.*

NYK achieved the gold tier for a fourth year in a row and received an incentive of US$12,500 for the company’s fleet traveling at 10 knots or less for at least 50% of the VSR zones.

To protect whales and cut air pollution, this program encourages voluntary vessel speed reduction in the Santa Barbara Channel region and the San Francisco Bay area. For about six months from May 15, 2021, the program’s partners analyzed each participating company’s automatic information system (AIS) data and evaluated the company’s adherence to the request that vessels transit at 10 knots or less through the VSR zones. The incentive will be used to address social and environmental issues under the NYK Group Sustainability Initiative.**

Children with message cards

For our participation in this program, we received photos with hand-drawn pictures of whales and dolphins along with messages of gratitude from elementary school students in California.

In February 2021, NYK released the “NYK Group ESG Story,” which aims to further integrate ESG into the company’s management strategy and promotes activities that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs through business activities. In March this year, NYK released the updated “NYK Group ESG Story 2022,” which introduces initiatives for integrating ESG into the Group’s management strategies set forth in the “NYK Group ESG Story” and provides a partial explanation of the Group’s sustainable growth strategy from a long-term perspective.

Pictures drawn by children

As a company that operates in the world’s oceans, the prevention of air pollution and the protection of marine life is an important part of our mission, and we will continue to work even more earnestly to preserve the marine environment and biodiversity.
Source: Nippon Yusen Kaisha