2024/07/25 MOL Holds 2nd Maritime Education Event at Oarai Ferry Terminal in Ibaraki Prefecture Expanding the Circle of Friends, Supporters of Seaweed Bed Project

July 25, 2024

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that the company partnered with Innoqua Inc. (Chief Executive Officer: Yota Takakura; Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo) to hold its second maritime education event (Note 1) at the Oarai Ferry Terminal and Oarai Beach in Ibaraki Prefecture from Friday, July 19 to Monday, July 22.
At an event held on Friday, the 19th, titled "Oarai Seaweed Bed Summit - Let's talk about the future of Oarai's sea!", panelists invited from various fields engaged in a lively discussion about efforts to restore seaweed beds, and proposed the possibility of blue carbon and the establishment of a forum on the subject.

In addition, from Saturday the 20th to Monday the 22nd, elementary and junior high school students from Oarai and its surrounding areas were invited to a "Seaweed Bed Science Lab (Note 3)." In the Seaweed Bed Science Lab, participants observed a tank that replicated sea conditions in the Oarai area using Innoqua's Environmental Transfer Technology® and learned about the role of seaweed beds and the difference between seaweed and sea grass (umikusa) through quizzes and experiments. They also did field surveys to research the types and characteristics of seaweed, sea grass (umikusa), and organisms that inhabit the rocky shores of the Oarai coast. Additionally, they carried out an experiment on the color change in seaweed.

Launched last December, the Maritime Education Program aims to provide Oarai area elementary and junior high school students and their parents with opportunities to learn about the importance of the ocean.
Oarai Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, is a port of call for the MOL Group's Sunflower ferries and the cruise ship Nippon Maru. MOL also concluded a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the town (Note 4) for the MOL Group's foreign human resources consulting business, collaborating with the town as a new leader in addressing labor shortages.
MOL will continue to work with Oarai Town and Innoqua to make this program a sustainable initiative. In addition, it will continue to promote activities to protect the waters near Oarai while aiming for coexistence and sustainable development of Oarai Town and local industries.

(Note 1) December 11, 2023, press release: MOL Holds Maritime Education Event at Oarai Ferry Terminal - Pledging to Protect the Oarai Sea's Natural Abundance for the Next Generation - | mol.co.jp/en/

(Note 2) November 24, 2023, press release: MOL Holds Inauguration Ceremony for 2023 'MOL Student Ambassadors' and 'Presentation of Proposal for Creating the Ship of the Future' - Creating the Future with Tomorrow's Leaders -. Fourteen ambassadors are currently playing active roles in learning about the significance of protecting the richness of the sea and the appeal of the ocean shipping industry and passing it down to their peers who will create the future.

(Note 3) "Seaweed Bed Science Lab" is one of the unique "Environmental Edutainment" programs (a combination of Education and Entertainment) developed by Inoka. It provides an opportunity for children of a wide age range, from elementary to high school students, to learn about nature and environmental issues in a fun way and to develop an interest in them.

(Note 4) August 26, 2022, press release: MOL Concludes MoU to Revitalize Regional Industries by Utilizing Overseas Personnel in Oarai-machi, Ibaraki Prefecture.

MOL Group 5 Sustainability Issues
MOL Group identifies "Sustainability Issues" (Materiality) as our key issues for sustainable growth with society through realization of the Group Vision.
We anticipate this initiative to contribute especially to the realization of "Environment -Conservation for Marine and global environment-" and "Human & Community -Contributing to the growth and development of people and communities-".