Southampton, England June 2007:

Naming of locomotive 'NYK Spirit of Kyoto'

Freightliner Ltd today officially named one of their new Class 66, low emission locomotives ‘NYK Spirit Of Kyoto’. 

The official unveiling ceremony took place today at Freightliner’s Southampton Millbrook Terminal and was Freightliner’s tribute to NYK for their consistent drive to transport more of their container business by rail on Freightliner services.

The fitting of the new nameplate to Freightliner’s new low emission locomotive 66594 demonstrates the two companies’ determination and desire to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the campaign to shift more freight from road to rail,.

The aspiration of both companies to reduce the effects on the climate system is reflected in the new name; ‘NYK Spirit Of Kyoto’.   This environmental name was suggested up by NYK employee Paul Squires, as part of an employee competition within NYK’s UK Liner offices,. His inspiration reflects the Kyoto Protocol; the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which is an amendment to the International agreement to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. 

Dave Elsom, Director, NYK UK, says:

“I am delighted that Freightliner has given us the opportunity to name one of their new locomotives.  It fits perfectly with our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy to reduce our corporate carbon footprint and it is apt that the locomotive chosen is designed to produce lower emissions.  It is equally apt that it should be a Freightliner locomotive, since our partnership with Freightliner continues to flourish with increasing demand in service levels expected from the container haulage industry.”

 Cont’d

Peter Maybury, Managing Director, Freightliner Ltd, added:

“NYK are one of our largest contract customers, running 33 wagons daily through various destinations including Leeds, Birmingham,Manchester, Liverpooland Coatbridge.  NYK’s rail business has grown by a staggering 40% over the past 12 months and we are both committed to increasing the number of boxes moved by rail through Southampton in future”.

ENDS

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.