August 8, 2023

1st Kuroshima Research Institute Training

For the first time, eight employees from our company participated in a training session on Kuroshima Island for three days from June 28th to 30th.

This training was originally scheduled to take place in May, but was postponed due to the arrival of Typhoon No. 2 just before the event, and was held in June, about a month later.

Perhaps because of this, the participants gathered at the meeting place, Ishigaki Island, from all over the country with great enthusiasm on the day, and everyone was able to reach Kuroshima as planned without a single person missing.

After arriving, we met up with the staff from the Kuroshima Research Institute and inspected Nishinohama, the spawning site, and also carried out some cleaning.

Unlike the beaches on Honshu, Kuroshima's beach is made of coarse coral sand, and it's easy for your feet to sink into it, giving the employees a hard time.

With the cooperation of eight of our employees and the Kuroshima Research Institute, we ended up collecting four container bags' worth of trash, helping to beautify the local area.

In the afternoon, we boarded the "AKARI," a vessel donated by our company, and inspected the waters near Kuroshima.

At the same time, you can snorkel and see the beautiful ocean colored by coral reefs.

All participants renewed their commitment to ESG activities.

In the evening, a lecture was held at the Kuroshima Research Institute, where staff members explained about the species and ecology of sea turtles, which we don't normally think about.

By learning about the regional and environmental characteristics of the three species of sea turtles that come to lay their eggs - the loggerhead turtle, the green turtle, and the hawksbill turtle -

It was a great opportunity to reaffirm how important Kuroshima is to sea turtles.

The next day, before the ferry departed Kuroshima, a sea turtle release ceremony was held, courtesy of the research institute.

The green sea turtle selected for this release ceremony, measuring 41.0 cm in carapace length and weighing 8.7 kg, was released from the beach by our employees.

It continued diving toward the ocean for nearly five minutes, surfacing once to take a breath, before disappearing from sight and returning to nature.

This release ceremony marked the end of our training on Kuroshima.

Kinkai Yusen will continue to provide regular support to the Kuroshima Laboratory through AKARI maintenance assistance and volunteer work, while also working to raise awareness of environmental activities among employees and continuing to seek better ESG management.

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