We decided to install an automated vegetable cultivation unit on board (Trial)

We decided to install an automated vegetable cultivation unit on our owning tonnage “Asahi Maru” for testing purpose. This automated cultivation unit manufactured by the U.S. company AGWA, uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) to cultivate vegetables and other plants fully automatically and with minimal effort, without requiring any knowledge of agriculture or equipment maintenance.

Securing fresh vegetables has long been an important issue for maintaining the health of crew members engaged in long-term ocean voyages, and we believe that the introduction of this automated cultivation unit will not only improve the quality of the crew’s meals and nutrition but will also contribute to mental health care. We also expect it will contribute to reduce packaging for loading onto ships, food loss and CO2 emissions caused by excessive inventory of foods.

This unit is scheduled to be installed in late September, when “Asahi Maru” will return to Japan.
We will closely monitor the progress of this trial and consider introducing it to our other vessels.