MOL President Talks About Shipping Challenges at Global Maritime Forum 2024

MOL CEO Hashimoto Highlights Shipping Industry Challenges at Global Forum

Tokyo, October 17, 2024 — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) President & CEO Takeshi Hashimoto recently took center stage at Tokyo’s 2024 Global Maritime Forum (GMF) Summit. This major event, held from October 15 to 17, gathered around 200 leaders from the shipping industry to discuss critical issues like decarbonization and sustainability in maritime operations. MOL was the sole sponsor of the summit, showcasing the company’s commitment to improving the future of shipping.

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Before the summit started, Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), visited MOL’s headquarters. MOL’s leadership, including Chairman Junichiro Ikeda, shared updates on the company’s initiatives to ensure safe operations and cut carbon emissions.

Key Discussions at the Summit

The event opened with a panel discussion featuring MOL CEO Takeshi Hashimoto, IMO Secretary-General Dominguez, and Jan Dieleman, the President of Cargill Ocean Transportation and Chairman of GMF. They spoke about the latest challenges in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) matters, as well as the current state of the maritime industry.

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Several MOL executives were also active during the summit:

• Toshiaki Tanaka, MOL Vice President and member of the GMF Advisory Board.
• Tatsuro Watanabe, MOL’s Chief Sustainability Officer, who joined talks on key maritime topics.

The discussions covered various issues, including:

• Decarbonization of shipping operations.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for seafarers and land-based employees.
• Biodiversity and protecting ocean health.
• AI and digitalization in maritime practices.
• Ship recycling and supporting a circular economy.

Press Briefing on Industry Progress

A press briefing was held to share the event’s insights with the media. MOL’s Chief Sustainability Officer Watanabe spoke alongside IMO’s Secretary-General and other experts. They discussed future strategies for making the shipping industry greener and more sustainable.

Moving Forward

MOL is committed to working with the GMF and other global partners to find solutions to key issues, such as:

• Reducing carbon emissions across the shipping industry.
• Improving the lives of seafarers and other maritime workers.
• Ensuring long-term sustainability in maritime operations.

With its leadership at the GMF summit, MOL continues to show dedication to building a cleaner and more inclusive future for the maritime industry.