More than 350 schoolchildren and their families were welcomed aboard a car carrier in Tokyo.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL) hosted schoolchildren Monday for a tour of its cutting-edge car carrier Beluga Ace at Harumi Pier in Tokyo.
The company welcomed about 360 elementary and junior high school students and their family members selected in an online application process. The participants boarded the huge vessel, measuring about 200 meters long and 50 meters high, and made their first stop in the engine room, where they listened to a presentation about the equipment, and a select few got to experience the startup of the power generator.
Participants then observed a demonstration of the high-precision loading of vehicles and moved around the ship in some of the vehicles. After a greeting from the captain on the bridge, they got to see and touch nautical instruments and binoculars.
With specially made maps distributed at the reception desk, the children and their families toured onboard facilities such as the captain’s quarters, a hydroponic vegetable garden, pool and lounge. On the pier, the students and their parents made replicas of the ship out of paper.
In addition to about 130 MOL Group executives and employees, the vessel’s crewmembers took part in the event to talk about what it’s like to work at sea.
Reactions from the students included, “I was amazed at how fast they loaded the vehicles and how little space there is between them,” and, “The crewmembers were cool! I want to work on a ship too.”
MOL Chief Officer Tomoko Hirayama served as a panelist at a seminar Monday titled “Let’s Ask Women Who Play Active Roles at Sea” and talked about the attractiveness of working aboard a merchant ship.
MOL aims to launch maritime careers with tour
