NYK has been recognized with the 2015 Seafarers Safety Initiative Grand Prize awarded by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for the company’s seafarer safety activities. The award recognizes the safety training provided to NYK’s seafarers and the subsequent awareness demonstrated through the company’s Safety Experience Training and Power + (Power Plus) Project program. A ceremony was held on September 30 at the ministry’s office in Tokyo and attended by NYK senior managing corporate officer Koichi Akamine.
In NYK’s Safety Experience Training, the precursors to crew accidents on board are reproduced to encourage safe behavior and an awareness of dangers.
The Power + Project Program comprises next-generation safety activities for reducing ship-maneuvering and other accidents resulting in injury or death attributable to human error. This program is based on two basic concepts: (1) selecting, enforcing and establishing safety, instead of were following, and (2) fostering a culture of safety, from individuals to groups, through concern for each other and mutual assistance (changes in the attitude and awareness of crew members).
The Seafarers Safety Initiative Grand Prize was established in fiscal 2014 as part of the 10th Basic Plan for Accident Prevention for Seafarers* advanced by the Maritime Bureau of MLIT. This prize recognizes excellent, advanced initiatives taken by shipowners, seafarers, and related parties to prevent accidents related to seafarers’ duties. The initiatives are aimed at reducing accidents among seafarers by introducing the initiatives widely, promoting activities for preventing seafarer accidents, and increasing all related parties’ willingness to engage in this activity. A certificate of commendation is given to the prize recipient, who can then use the prize logo over the next fiscal year.
With this commendation as an incentive, NYK will further advance its management systems, positioning navigational safety as the most important task, and will aim to be a leading company in the safety and environmental field based on the group’s medium-term management plan, “More Than Shipping 2018.”
