Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced plans to install a ballast water treatment system on a very large crude oil carrier (VLCC) currently in service. This will be the first such onboard system installed by any Japanese shipowner on an existing VLCC. The company chose the JFE Ballast Ace developed by JFE Engineering Corporation. The installation will take place while the vessel is docked from March through April.

Ballast water discharged while loading/discharging cargo carries marine organisms around the world and can have a negative impact on marine ecosystems and biodiversity. This has become a subject of global concern since the late 1980s. Accordingly, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the Ballast Water Management Convention in February 2004, and its ratification is under way.

The project to install the system on the VLCC is part of MOL's approach to "contribution to conservation of biodiversity," which is one of the company's environmental strategic targets in the midterm management plan GEAR UP! MOL. MOL continually forges ahead to offer transport solutions that put less of a burden on the global and marine environments. MOL is also preparing to ensure compliance with to the Ballast Water Management Convention by accumulating experience in system installation and operation.