MOL Holds an Experiential Event: 'Let's Unlock the Secrets of Corals!'
- Learning about the Mysterious World of Corals and Sharing the Significance of the Ocean and its conservation with Future Generations -

September 21, 2023

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL: President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that on Sunday, September 3, the company held a hands-on event in front of the coral aquarium at the entrance hall of the Head Office. The event, featuring renowned experts on coral reefs, was aimed at elementary and junior high school students. the main goal was to deepen the understanding of coral reefs ecosystems, and the corals itself, an organism that most people have few opportunities to encounter, and to provide an opportunity to think about the conservation of the marine environment and the protection of biodiversity. Several experts from Shizuoka University's Graduate School of Science and Technology (Note 1) were invited to act as lecturers and navigators for this event. Participants listened to a lecture on the main theme, "Secrets of the Coral," followed by the experimental part of the program, in which children observed under a microscope the zooxanthellae, one species of phytoplankton that coexists in symbiosis with corals, the feeding behavior of corals, and the fluorescent proteins of the corals, which glow under dark conditions. The event concluded with a quiz and a summary covering several topics on the ocean, and climate change.

A total of about 30 people attended the presentation, including the MOL elementary and junior high school Ambassadors (Note 2) who were appointed last fall, 17 children, including family members of MOL employees, and their parents. The event succeeded in creating a unique opportunity to learn about the significance of corals and other marine organisms that coexist in the coral reefs and deepen the understanding of marine biodiversity conservation. MOL will continue these activities to convey the importance of the ocean to future generations.

(Note 1) The following lecturers from Shizuoka University's Graduate School of Science and Technology were welcomed to the event.

Yoshimi Suzuki, Dr. Sci.: Specially Appointed Professor, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Research and Education Promotion Division Officer, Guest Professor of Zhejiang Univ., Chinese Academy Science, Former President of Japanese Coral Academy Society

Beatriz Estela Casareto, Dr. Sci.: Professor, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Environment and Energy Systems, Sustainability Center of Shizuoka University, Research Promotion Division, councilor of the Japanese Coral Reef Society (JCRS) and the International Coral Reef Society (ICRS)

(Note 2) Please refer to the November 30, 2022 press release: "Inauguration Ceremony Held for MOL Student Ambassadors – Conveying the Appeal of the Shipping Industry and the Importance of Protecting the Richness of the Sea to the Next Generation." Nine members are currently engaged in activities to learn the importance of protecting the world's beautiful oceans and the promoting the appeal of the ocean shipping industry through their ambassadorial activities. They will be responsible for communicating this information to their peers in the same generation, who will create the future.

MOL Group 5 Sustainability Issues
MOL Group identifies "Sustainability Issues" (Materiality) as our key issues for sustainable growth with society through realization of the Group Vision.
We anticipate this initiative to contribute especially to the realization of "Environment -Conservation for Marine and global environment-" and "Human & Community -Contributing to the growth and development of people and communities-"