NYK Roundtable Highlights Ship-to-Shore Communications

On October 23, NYK held its annual roundtable discussion on current conditions and issues on board vessels, highlighting the role of communications in ship safety.

The meeting was held at the NYK head office in Tokyo in a hybrid format and attended by more than 150 participants, including three captains and three chief engineers on leave, the captain and chief engineer on board the car carrier Iris Leader, the captain aboard the crude oil tanker Tensho, 22 executive officers, and staff involved in operations such as sales and operations.

The meeting is part of NYK’s Remember Naka-no-Se safety campaign and is chaired by NYK president Takaya Soga, who oversees NYK’s Safety and Environmental Management Committee. The gathering allows top management to exchange opinions directly with captains and chief engineers and further develop practical measures with respect to the safe operation of vessels.

They engaged in a lively exchange of opinions on a wide range of topics, including ship-to-shore communications, crew safety, personnel and labor issues, safe vessel operation, and training for officers and engineers.

Participants asked many questions and offered opinions about operational issues and recommendations regarding the prevention of onboard accidents, among other topics, as well as the use of Starlink, a satellite communication service operated by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) and installed on the two participating ships.

Soga commented, "Ship-to-shore communications play an important role in crew safety management and safe ship operation. We would like to continue discussions with the management team to realize as much as possible the requests and suggestions from the field that were presented today.”

The NYK Group will continue to promote smooth ship-to-shore communication and ensure crew safety management and safe vessel operations, which are the cornerstones of business continuity.