Hamburg, 17th September 2008:
Japanese Ceremonial Opening of NYK’s new German Shipping HQ
On Wednesday 17th September 2008, NYK Line (Deutschland) GmbH officially opened their new office at Kaiserkai 1 in the HafenCity.
In the presence of the Senator for economics and labour of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Axel Gedaschko, the Japanese Consul-General in Hamburg, Seisuke Narumiya, and Masamichi Morooka, President and CEO of NYK Group Europe in London; around 100 customers and business partners from all over Germany participated in the opening ceremony.
Klaus-Peter Barth, Managing Director of NYK Line (Deutschland), explained the office move in his welcome speech: “With our German Head office, here in the HafenCity, we have returned to the water front, right in the middle of the shipping centre. Our new address is also a commitment to Hamburg and the port. “
NYK, one of the world’s leading transportation companies , is the first Japanese company to be situated in the HafenCity. The 132 employees of NYK are working on 3 floors of their new office at Kaiserkai 1. Their responsibilities include container and RORO traffic, not only for Germany, but also for Russia and Eastern Europe as well as Austria. In Germany, NYK has additional Liner offices in Bremerhaven, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt. Worldwide, the NYK Group employs 51.000 employees and in 2007-08 Group revenue was $26 Bn.
Masamichi Morooka stressed the importance of Germany as the core market for NYK in Europe: “The move to the HafenCity is a further milestone in the long and fruitful relationship between NYK and the port of Hamburg. With this move we strengthen our presence in Germany, as well as reinforce our activities in the growing markets of Eastern Europe and in Russia.
The Senator of economics and labour of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Axel Gedaschko, commented in his speech: “NYK can benefit in particular from the market growth in Eastern Europe and Russia and the city of Hamburg is proud to be the vital link between the fast growing regions in Asia and Eastern Europe.”
Additionally, the Logistik-Initiative Hamburg, of which NYK has been a member since October 2007, considers the expansion of NYK activities as a positive signal for Hamburg as a logistics hub. Japanese companies in particular use Hamburg as their logistics centre for distributing goods in North and Central Europe.
In the traditional Japanese “Kagami-wari“ ceremony to mark the official occasion, a sake cask was opened and its contents enjoyed by those present.
For further information contact:
Thorsten Kröger
NYK LINE (Deutschland) GmbH
Tel: +49 40 33 400-1165
email: Thorsten.Kroeger@ne.nykline.com
Renate Haack
Haack Public Relations
Tel: +49 40/ 303 803 00
email: renate.haack@haack-pr.de
ENDS
Photo: Picture taken during “Kagami-wari” ceremony at NYK’s new Liner office in Hamburg. Persons in the photo from left to right: Japanese Consul General in Hamburg Mr. Seisuke Narumiya, Senator of economics and labour of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg Axel Gedaschko, President and CEO of NYK Group Europe Ltd, Masamichi Morooka and NYK Line (Deutschland) Managing Director Klaus-Peter Barth.
About NYK:
Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha is one of the world's leading transportation companies. The NYK Group operates approximately 777 major ocean vessels, as of the end of March 2008, as well as fleets of planes, trains, and trucks. The company's shipping fleet includes around 155 containerships, 286 bulk carriers, 55 wood-chip carriers, 113 car carriers, 21 reefer carriers, 79 tankers, 30 LNG carriers, and three cruise ships. NYK's revenue in fiscal 2007 was about $26 billion, and as a group, NYK employs about 51,000 people worldwide. The company has offices in 240 locations in 27 countries, warehouses on nearly every continent, and harbor operations in Asia, North America, and Europe. NYK is based in Tokyo, and has regional headquarters in London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, and Sao Paulo.
