MOL Wins Excellence Award in ESG Category of Japan Times-sponsored Sustainable Japan Awards 2021

September 29, 2021

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that it has received the excellence award in the ESG category of the Sustainable Japan Awards 2021 sponsored by The Japan Times.

The Sustainable Japan Awards are intended to commend companies, organizations, and individuals that have made advances in sustainable efforts in Japan and overseas with the aim of realizing a sustainable society. The year 2021 marks the third year of the awards program.

MOL was the charterer of the bulk carrier WAKASHIO, which went aground off Mauritius resulting in a serious oil spill in August 2020. Even though as a charterer without legal liability for the grounding/oil spill accident, this incident was taken very seriously in the company and since then it has worked earnestly to fulfill its social responsibility to restore the environment and assist affected communities in Mauritius. The award recognizes for the first time the significance of its activities to promote the recovery of the local environment and contribute to local communities through specific support measures that meet local needs, such as dispatching personnel, provision of cleaning equipment, transport of oil absorbent materials donated by Japanese companies, donation of refrigerated containers to help the fishing industry and shipping containers for use as buildings, and support of a childcare facility near the site of the incident immediately afterward.

MOL's support activities, starting with the delivery of cleaning equipment, to date have spearheaded not only environmental protection and recovery projects, but also activities rooted in Mauritius, such as those launched by its local subsidiary (opened in October 2020) to support the daily lives of local people adversely affected by COVID-19-related restrictions, as well as the establishment of a local charitable fund.

MOL continues its efforts aimed at realizing a sustainable society in various fields, based on the experience gained in Mauritius.

MOL's Action towards the Wakashio Incident (Environmental Recovery and Social Contribution)