Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that one of its car carriers, the Galaxy Ace, teamed up with Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium on a project to study the migration patterns of loggerhead turtles, with the vessel transporting turtles and aquarium staff, according to the company's release.
On June 27, 25 loggerhead turtles were loaded onto the vessel at the Kinjo Pier in the Port of Nagoya, and on July 11 (local time), two research team members aboard the vessel released them into the Pacific Ocean.
The research is being conducted by Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium in collaboration with domestic and international research institutions to verify Thermal Corridor Hypothesis that loggerhead turtles in the eastern end of the central North Pacific reach the waters off California in El Niño years, when the sea surface is warmer. This research can provide valuable knowledge about the ecology of the endangered loggerhead turtles and link it to conservation activities, by investigating the migration route from the location information transmitted from the transmitters attached to the turtles.
All of the released loggerheads are about two years old and relatively large, with carapace length of 30 cm to 40 cm and weight of approximately 8 kg. Unlike turtles immediately after hatching, they are less likely to be attacked by marine predators.
MOL has positioned environmental strategy as one of the key elements of its "BLUE ACTION 2035" management plan, and has established the "MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.2." In the midst of growing international momentum toward Nature Positive, the MOL Group, as a shipping company with a global network, is committed to supporting marine environmental science, including cooperation on research projects like the turtle migration research. Recognizing the impact of its business activities on the marine environment and ecosystems, the group is proactively engaged in a wide variety of corporate citizenship activities to contribute to the conservation of the marine environment and biodiversity, as the ocean is not only site of its business activities, but also the common property of all people around the world.