Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.  announced its intent to participate in the industry-academia-government collaborative project to conserve marine biodiversity called “Ocean180,” (Note 1) led by Professor Yasuhiro Kubota (Note 2) of the Biology Program, Marine and Natural Science Dept. in the Faculty of Science at the University of the Ryukyus (President: Mutsumi Nishida; Headquarters: Nishihara-cho, Nakagami-gun, Okinawa Prefecture).

This is a long-term project to protect marine biodiversity which will visualize ocean ecosystems based on big data related to marine life, statistical modeling, and artificial intelligence (AI) in cooperation with research institutes such as universities, citizens, government agencies, companies, and financial institutions. The name “Ocean180” reflects the wish for a reversal of deteriorating conditions in the world’s oceans and a move toward improvement. The project will promote effective actions to conserve and regenerate the oceans based on big data analysis of biodiversity.

MOL will provide ship operation data (Note 3), and so on, cooperating in the development of technology to visualize the impact of shipping on ecosystems, integrating marine life data and ocean shipping data. It will also help promote practical application of the project and study the feasibility of commercializing and broadening the use of various expertise and technologies stemming from the project, by making use of information and knowledge gained from the project in MOL-backed initiatives to protect marine biodiversity.

In June 2021, the MOL Group established the “MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.1” (Note 4) with the aim of achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. The group works to preserve marine environments and protect biodiversity through these contributions to the sustainable development of our society and the preservation of nature. In the company’s words, “From the blue oceans, we sustain people’s lives and ensure a prosperous future.” (Fig.1)

(Fig.1)

(Note 1) Marine Biodiversity Big Data project “Ocean180”
A long-term industry-academia-government collaborative project backed by the several institutions under the leadership of Professor Yasuhiro Kubota, with the aim of developing underlying technology to generalize big data on marine biodiversity and develop applied technology for “Life Below Water.” Currently, the related organizations are initiating various research efforts, but plans are underway to bring other parties into the project in the future.

The project aims at the following main goals.