Mitsui O.S.K. Lines,  announced that on Marine Day, July 15, it hosted a tour of the Turquoise ACE, the second in the BLUE series of LNG-fueled car carriers, to familiarize children, who will lead the next generation, with the important role of ships and the sea. MOL presented the tour in cooperation with the Japanese Shipowners’ Association , as a part of “The Umi-to-Nippon  Project”.

The tour was suspended in 2019 due to COVID-19 pandemic, so this was the first event in five years. More than 500 people participated from a large number of appllications received—elementary and junior high school students and their parents. The visitors boarded the huge 200-meter-long car carrier, toured the bridge and accommodation area, and listened to presentations about ships and the shipping industry from the crewmembers. At the end of the tour, the participants watched a demonstration of cars being loaded into the ship’s hold (cargo space).

At the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, many of the youngsters experienced and operated the ship handling simulator, and viewed informational panels on the work of seafarers and maritime newspapers by MOL ambassadors . Also on display was a model of the Wind Challenger, a hard sail wind propulsion system, which is expected to reduce GHG emissions. In addition, the visitors enjoyed taking commemorative photos while wearing seafarers’ uniforms and playing quiz games about merchant vessels.

About 200 MOL Group staff members were on hand to assist during the event, and heard positive and enthusiastic comments from the youngsters, such as, “I was amazed at the size of the ship and the space on board!”, “I was impressed by how closely the cars were parked.” and “I was glad to hear the captain’s story.