Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) and its group company MOL Sunflower Ltd. (President & CEO: Hirotoshi Ushioku; Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) today announced that the Sunflower Kurenai and Sunflower Murasaki (Note 1), Japan’s first LNG-fueled ferries, received the 17th “Minister's Award for the Promotion of Barrier-Free Environments” from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in recognition of their barrier-free improvements and the universal design efforts of the newly built Sunflower Terminal (Beppu), which was constructed to coincide with the launch of both ferries, which entered service last year.

The MLIT Minister's Award for the Promotion of Barrier-Free Environments was established in 2007 to commend individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to the promotion of barrier-free facilities in the field of land, infrastructure, and transportation, and to widely promote and encourage their outstanding efforts, based on the purpose of the “New Barrier-Free Law” (Law concerning facilitation of accessibility for the elderly, people with disabilities, etc.) with the objective of promoting and encouraging measures to eliminate barriers to access.
The MOL Group positions diversity, equity, and inclusion as “New drivers of growth.” The group will offer “people- and environment-friendly” cruises so that more people can enjoy the “Casual Cruise” (Note 2) offered by its ferry business. Through concerted efforts, the group will continually contribute to improving the well-being of society, sustain people’s daily lives from the blue ocean, and open the way to a prosperous future.

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