Mitsui OSK Lines has established an offshore technical division to continue its development in the sector, which it has identified as a growth area under its current business plan.
The Tokyo-headquartered company said it hopes the new division will come up with innovative technical solutions in the sector and develop “stress free” relationships with clients in a “technology driven field”.
MOL said it expects the move will give it a competitive advantage in the business.
The shipowner and operator described the new division as “a technical group specialising in the offshore business, unbound by conventional ideas of ocean transport, and offering customers various innovative solutions based on technical specialities”.
MOL’s involvement in the offshore business is mainly related to petroleum floating production, storage and offloading systems, LNG floating storage and regasification units and floating storage units and renewable energy.
The division will be headed by Yoshikazu Kawagoe, currently the senior managing executive officer at MOL.
In a separate development, MOL has appointed an executive to take charge of the pollution recovery programme on the island of Mauritius following the grounding of the 207,000-dwt bulk carrier Wakashio (built 2007) in July this year.
Tokyo-listed MOL was the long-term charterer of the bulk carrier and has been sending technical experts, pollution recovery hardware and aid to the site of the disaster. Around 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil leaked out of the vessel when it grounded.
Executive vice president Akihiko Ono will be responsible for the recovery of environmental damage from the Wakashio incident and making further contributions to the Mauritian community.
