NYK will donate 3 million yen to Nishio City for the purpose of environmental conservation on Sakushima Island in Aichi Prefecture. A ceremony recognizing the donation was held on February 2 at the Nishio city office.

The event was attended by Ken Nakamura, mayor of Nishio City, as well as representatives from NYK’s Nagoya branch and NYK Group company Asahi Unyu Kaisha, Ltd. Mayor Nakamura expressed his gratitude by saying, “We are very grateful to NYK not only for the donation but also for the volunteer support. The seaweed bed restoration activity is a project that contributes to the SDGs and carbon neutrality, and it is meaningful for Nishio City to promote it in cooperation with companies. We will make effective use of this donation to deepen our activities.”

Sakushima, a remote island in Mikawa Bay surrounded by the Chita and Atsumi peninsulas, has attracted attention in recent years as an island of art, but with a declining and aging population, preservation of the island’s nature and landscape has been a challenge for its residents.

NYK will make this donation to support environmental conservation in the Ise Bay area, where many vessels enter and leave port. The grant will be used mainly for research and restoration activities related to seaweed bed* cultivation and the cultivation of eelgrass seedlings. Seaweed beds, often called the “cradle of the sea,” are important habitat that improve water quality and serve as a place for eggs and growth.

In addition, it has been decided that from this year onward employees of the NYK Group will be invited to participate in volunteer activities to plant eelgrass seedlings, a project that is carried out by Nishio City every year.

We believe that our donation and volunteer activities are a way of giving back to the Ise Bay area, where NYK conducts business activities.

Based on the Group’s corporate philosophy of contributing to the realization of a better global society, the Group will continue to aim for coexistence and co-prosperity with the international community in our effort to continue “giving back to the oceans, earth, and people.”