December 3, 2003

MOL to Launch Three Double-Hull VLCCs
MOL Adopts Double-Hull Structures for All MOL-Operated VLCCs
with the launch of Nine New Vessels


TOKYO - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Kunio Suzuki) today announced plans to order three more double-hull very large crude carriers (VLCCs), following MOL's May 2003 decision to build six double-hull VLCCs. With the move to construct three more VLCCs, MOL will launch a total of nine double-hull VLCCs. This move accelerates the adoption of this environmentally friendly technology. MOL now plans to replace all VLCCs with double-hull vessels by 2006, two years earlier than its initial target year of 2008.

This move reflects one of the major strategies of the companyfs mid-term management plan MOL next - allocating management resources in the fields of natural resource and energy transport. It is also part of MOL's ongoing groupwide effort to protect the marine environment, as set out in the MOL Group Corporate Principles. The entire MOL Group is committed to maintaining strict operating safety and navigation standards.

Summary of VLCCs
Scheduled completion: June-October 2006
Type: 300,000 deadweight tons double-hull VLCC
Number of vessels to be built: 3
Shipyards: Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Reference (Summary of six VLCCs determined to construct, in May 2003)
Scheduled completion: 2004 - 2005
Type: 300,000 deadweight tons double-hull VLCC
Number of vessels to be built: 6
Shipyards: Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.