MOL Cooperates in Ocean Transport of Mobile Library Vehicles to South Africa
-Contributing to the Spread of School Libraries-

December 23, 2022

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that it assisted the non-profit organization South Africa Primary Education Support Initiative (*) (Sapesi-Japan) with the ocean transport of mobile library vehicles to the Republic of South Africa.

MOL has been cooperating in this activity since 2009, and this is the company's ninth transport. To date, it has transported 51 vehicles, and this time it helped transport two units donated by two municipalities. The vehicles were loaded onto the MOL car carrier Primrose ACE at the Port of Yokohama on October 31, and arrived at the Port of Durban, South Africa, on November 25.

Before the vehicles were transported, a ceremony was held on October 13 at the residence of the South African Ambassador to Japan. On hand for the event were South African Ambassador to Japan Lulama Smuts Ngonyama and South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, who presented a certificate of appreciation to MOL.

The mobile library vehicles, which have been used by local governments in Japan, will now have a second life and an important educational mission in South Africa, where they will visit elementary and junior high schools that do not have their own libraries.

The MOL Group will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by earnestly engaging in corporate citizenship activities, including this project, with the aim of achieving sustainable development of local communities.

(*) Sapesi-Japan cooperates with the South African NPO Sapesi and the South African Ministry of Education to collect retired mobile library vehicles throughout Japan and donate them to South Africa to raise the level of elementary education. In 2006, it was established as an NPO. Since then, the organization has promoted mobile library services and worked to improve school libraries.

[MOL Group 5 Sustainability Issues]
MOL Group will contribute to realizing a sustainable society by promoting responses to sustainability issues, which are identified as social issues that must be addressed as priorities through its business.
We anticipate this initiative to contribute to the realization of "Human & Community -Contributing to the growth and development of people and communities-."