Topics 2006

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- Joint Port Security Drill in Nagoya and Yokkaichi In anticipation of a possible large-scale earthquake that could damage major port facilities, the Ports of Nagoya and Yokkaichi jointly conducted an emergency drill for the purpose of maintaining container traffic flow through complementary actions and cooperation in cases of disaster. This exercise was conducted based on the "Agreement to Ensure International Logistics Functions in Times of Disaster in Ise Bay", which was concluded in May 2006 between the Chubu Regional Development Bureau, MLIT, and Yokkaichi Port Authority. The drill took place on the assumption that some gantry cranes and harbor roads had been damaged by a devastating earthquake, which we are in fact currently anticipating. Both desk and field exercises were conducted at each port to confirm the efficacy of information exchange that will allow urgent, temporary vessel reception. In the training, containers on Kinjo Pier Container Terminal were loaded onto a coastal vessel using a ship crane instead of gantry cranes, and then shipped safely to the Port of Yokkaichi.

Desk exercise at the Port of Nagoya Containers are loaded without using container gantry cranes

- Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium Is Thriving! Qoo, a 16-year-old female killer wale, came to the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium in autumn 2003. Since then, the Aquarium has made a number of efforts to create the best environment for Qoo's mental and physical health. This year, the Aquarium's pioneering works and efforts to raise awareness of the importance of "enrichment" of zoo animals' lives were recognized with the receipt of a "Zoological Park Community Award," given by the Network for Zoo Enrichment, a specified nonprofit corporation. "Enrichment" here means attempts to enrich the surroundings of animals in zoos through originality and ingenuity in the breeding environment, which often tends to become menial and routine. Ideas to add color to Qoo's breeding environment were solicited from the public nationwide, and some of them were put into practice. One such idea was for children to sing songs and dance in front of the pool, so that curious Qoo came to watch children, instead of being watched as usual. The Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium welcomed its 25 millionth visitor on November 11, 14 years after it opened in 1992.

Children show dances with hoops Qoo comes to see a banner held by children

Qoo plays with a custom made toy

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- Portan is registered as citizen of Minato Ward, Nagoya! Do you remember the Port of Nagoya's 100th anniversary mascot? Yes, it is Portan. Portan visited the Minato Ward Office of the City Government on November 15 to submit a special resident card, making it an official citizen of Nagoya. According to the card, Portan was born on November 10, 1907, the date of the official opening of the Port of Nagoya. In its native island surrounded by beautiful coral reef in the south, they age once every ten years; thus Portan is still nine years old. Having received the residence certificate, Portan made courtesy calls on Mr. Masaaki Kanda, Governor of Aichi Prefecture, and Mr. Takehisa Matsubara, Mayor of Nagoya City, who concurrently serves as President of Nagoya Port Authority. Portan will help make the Port's centennial anniversary in 2007 more widely known, and will take part in a series of events associated with the jubilee.

Mayor Matsubara, President of the Nagoya Port Authority and Portan

- New step by Toyota to decrease CO2 emissions For the purpose of shortening lead time and decreasing gas emissions, Toyota Motor Corporation has decided to use railway service for transportation of some of its automobile parts. Engines and transmissions are loaded at Tokai Motohama Pier in the Port of Nagoya, and discharged at Morioka, a city 900 km northeast, with a shuttle service of 16 hours one way. The service will be offered 244 days annually. Toyota will use specially designed large containers of 31 feet, developed jointly by Toyota Motor Corporation, JR Freight, Nippon Express and Toyota Transportation. Twenty of these large containers will be connected in a single train. This container has a bulk ratio that is 10% larger than that of standard containers, which enables the delivery with each service of cargo equivalent in capacity to forty 10-ton trucks. The automobile company used to forward these components by coastal transport to Sendai, where they were transshipped to trucks for their final destinations. The new service by railway will shorten the total time for transport from 3 to 2.5 days, and decrease the CO2 gas emission by 7,000 tons compared to full road transport from Nagoya to Morioka. Toyota may shift more than 20% of automobile parts transport to Morioka to railway transport from November 15, 2006.

Toyota's Long Pass Express

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	- A New Environmental Port Pact Signed between Ports of Los Angeles and Nagoya
	Amid surging demand to decrease gas emissions in the world, the transport sector including the maritime industry currently faces a number of challenges that require global solutions, since trade activities today are closely associated with international business. Major ports in the world like the Port of Los Angeles that are conscious of the importance of the environmental issues have started independent environmental programs in concert with national and local governments and provide financial assistance to related parties. However, in order to cope more appropriately with this global issue, international cooperation is crucial. Given the long-standing sister port affiliation between the Ports of Los Angeles and Nagoya, which has been instrumental in learning about each other's achievements and challenges, the two ports decided to conclude a new agreement that specially addresses environmental issues: "Agreement on Port Environmental Conservation Collaboration Between the Port of Nagoya and the Port of Los Angeles".				Ms. Kaylynne L. Kim, Commissioner of the Port of Los Angeles (Left) and Mr. Takashi Yamada
	Under this agreement, the two ports will collaborate in order to conserve the respective port's environmental integrity. Ms. Kaylynne L. Kim, Commissioner of the Board of Harbor Commissioners, City of Los Angeles Harbor Department, and Mr. Takashi Yamada, Executive Vice President of the Nagoya Port Authority signed the agreement on October 13, 2006, at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium, which is owned by the port authority. The Port of Los Angeles has also concluded similar agreements with other major Asian ports such as the Ports of Shanghai, Busan and Tokyo to make this green project more effective. The first meeting based on this pact will be held in the coming December in Los Angeles.

- World’s Largest Containership Calls at the Port! On October 9, the world's largest containership, Emma Maersk (11,000TEU, Maersk Line), called the Port of Nagoya. She is the first vessel in a fleet of same size, and Nagoya was included in one of the ports of call in her maiden journey. Maersk Line is currently provides a weekly service called AE1 connecting Asia and Europe with nine large containerships, with calls at Nagoya every Monday. Three gantry cranes capable of handling 17 rows of containers on deck ran at full capacity to load/unload approximately 1,000 containers during the Emma Maersk's stay at the Port of Nagoya. The ship left Nagoya for the next port of call, Yokohama, on the same day.

The Emma Maersk at Berth 94

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- The Port Disaster Drill Nagoya Port Authority held a disaster drill in conjunction with a waterfront area tsunami evacuation drill held by the Port Ward. This practical drill was held on the assumption that an earthquake of the 5 to 6th degree on the seismic scale struck the port area, and a tsunami warning was sounded fifteen minutes after the earthquake, with cooperation among a great number of port related authorities including the Port Fire Station. Port Authority staff evacuated to an open area beside their office building while protecting their heads from falling objects. They also received a lecture on how to assist unconscious people by artificial respiration, heart massage, and AED. In addition, fifty people from the Nagoya Port Authority and Harbor Police Station worked together to make three-hundred sandbags and pile them up in case the automated tide gates could not be closed completely. A drill to close the floodgate at the Horikawa River estuary was also held. Through this drill, the staff of the Nagoya Port Authority renewed their understanding of the importance of enhancing the crisis management system, and creating a safe and secure port.

Heart massage and AED demonstration A drill on piling sandbags

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- The 60th Marine Day Nagoya Port Festival The 60th Marine Day Nagoya Port Festival was held on July 17, the national Marine Day holiday in Japan. This festival is a favorite among local people as one of the biggest events at the Port and a symbol of the summer. In spite of rainy conditions, approximately 250,000 visitors participated in the festival and fully enjoyed their summer holiday. A variety of lively performances entertained the visitors who came from far. For example, the raftsmen's competition, which is designated as a Nagoya intangible cultural treasure, and a dance performance with the participation of more than 1500 local residents fascinated the audience. In addition, Portan, the Port's mascot for its celebration of the 100th anniversary of its opening, also welcomed the visitors. At the climax of the festival, skyrocket fireworks were set off. At the same time, the master of ceremonies read out messages from people, who had applied in advance, to their friends and families. "Melody fireworks", perfectly synchronized with music by making full use of the latest computer technology, were also fired off. These fireworks received a storm of applause from the audience and enhanced the festival's finale.

Raftsmen's competition Fireworks display

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- Name of PR mascot to celebrate our 100th anniversary has been decided! The Nagoya Port Authority held a "Name Our Mascot" competition for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the port's opening. The name "Portan" was chosen from among many excellent competition entries because of the lovable image it portrays. The "tan" honorific is usually used for small children and mascot characters. It is hoped Portan, as an adorable character loved by all ages, will enhance our port's image.

Port of Nagoya's Mascot Portan

- Tobishima Pier South Side Container Terminal wins technical prize A project by the Tobishima Pier South Side Container Terminal won a technical prize from the Japan Harbor Transportation Association, at its annual meeting held in Kochi City, on May 24, 2006.

The project was regarded highly for its collaboration between the private and public sectors to develop the most advanced terminal in Japan with IT and an auto-mobilized system. The Port of Nagoya is expected to play a leading role in increasing the international competitiveness of Japanese ports. Tobishima Pier South Side Container Terminal also welcomed Grand Alliance's new vessels serving on European route. The terminal now serves a total of six vessels a week mainly on North American and European routes. Terminal operator, Tobishima Container Berth Co., Ltd. expects the annual total volume of container cargo handled will reach the planned 300,000 TEUs.

Tobishima Pier South Side Terminal

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- A lively atmosphere during Golden Week at the Port of Nagoya The recreational facilities at Garden Pier also attracted a great many visitors during Golden Week. The total number of visitors to the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium from April 29 to May 7 was 139,000, a 35% increase from last year. May 4 was a particularly busy day for the aquarium with 27,591 visitors, making it the day with the third largest attendance in the aquarium's history. It was opened even at night, when dolphin performances held 5 times a day attracted attention and huge ovations from the spectators. The number of visitors at other waterfront facilities, including the observatory in the Nagoya Port Building, the Nagoya Maritime Museum, and the Fuji Antarctic Museum, increased as much as 50% from last year. Meanwhile, the Italian Village, now in its second year, recorded a decrease of 35% in visitors compared to its opening last year. However, more than 144,000 people still visited during Golden Week.

A Night Show at the Aquarium The Italian Village during Golden Week

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- The Beach Life Festival in Shinmaiko Marine Park An event called "The Beach Life in Shinmaiko" was held at Shinmaiko Marine Park Blue Sun Beach, a man-made beach operated and managed by Nagoya Port Authority, on April 30 during the "Golden Week" holidays in Japan. This was the first beach utilization promotion festival in all Japan sponsored by the Beach Life Network. The Beach Life Network is a group that belongs to the Japan Beach Culture Promotion Association (NPO). 　Its activities are aimed at making full use of beaches throughout the seasons. Approximately 10,000 visitors participated in the event and enjoyed their holiday on the beach. At the opening ceremony, Mr. Takashi Yamada, the Executive Vice-President of Nagoya Port Authority, delivered greetings in which he said, "the Port of Nagoya has been actively endeavoring to make an environmentally friendly and people friendly port. Shinmaiko Marine Park, with a wind power station and man-made beach, symbolizes this concept. This kind of beach utilization promotion festival at Shinmaiko Marine Park is meaningful for the Port of Nagoya." After the ceremony, guests and top beach volleyball athletes picked up garbage on the beach as "garbage busters" to show their desire for a safe and clean beach. Visitors enjoyed watching an exciting official beach volleyball tournament, and even had a chance to take a lesson in how to play. Besides beach volleyball, a variety of beach sports including beach soccer, beach flags, and beach yoga were introduced.

Shinmaiko Blue Sun Beach Mr. Yamada at the Opening Ceremony A Beach Volleyball Tournament

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March

	- Classic Passenger Ship Saga Ruby Calls at Nagoya The Saga Ruby, a British passenger ship owned by Saga Cruises, called at the Port of Nagoya on March 9. This was during her first world cruise, a 110-day journey that started from Southampton, England. Built as Vistafjord in 1973 and famous as Cunard's Caronia, the Saga Ruby received her present name in 2005, and made her first visit to Japan. The 24,492 gross ton ship was berthed at the Garden pier and her elegant appearance impressed all who saw her. A tea ceremony held at the Port Building to entertain the Saga Ruby's passengers concluded on a high note after serving many more participants than were expected. The Saga Ruby's world cruise will come to an end when she returns to Southampton on April 6, 2006.
	Saga Ruby		Tea Ceremony at the Port Building

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	Total Trade Value	(million yen)	(growth from 2004)
	Nagoya	12,338,744	9.9%
	Tokyo	10,811,870	8.8%
	Yokohama	10,494,821	6.4%
	Kobe	7,618,092	7.2%
	Osaka	5,925,826	16.6%
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- Public survey on the Port of Nagoya With the aim of understanding people's needs to help us formulate a new long-term plan for the port, while at the same time increasing port publicity, the Nagoya Port Authority conducted a public opinion poll among randomly selected residents as well as visitors to public offices and facilities in the surrounding areas on the future roles of the port. The largest number of respondents, 34%, visit the Port of Nagoya twice or three times per year for recreational purposes at such facilities as the Aquarium and the Italian Village (commercial complex realized by PFI). When asked their impressions of the port, the majority said that they felt affinity with the port, using terms such as "close", "having potential for further growth", "energetic", and etc. The things associated with the port that interests residents was topped by, "to learn about the port's approach to environmental issues", followed by "to know the various roles of the port", "to watch ships entering/leaving the port and learn their kinds", and others. Over 50% of the respondents think that the Port of Nagoya plays a crucial role offering indispensable infrastructure for its hinterland, a home to Japanese manufacturing industries. Many expect the Port of Nagoya to attain further international competitiveness, to offer recreation areas with leisure facilities, as well as to become disaster preparedness center in cases of emergency.

A PFI project, the Italian Village commercial complex, has achieved great success since it opened in April 2005.

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