---

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has earned recognition from the ports of both Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, for its efforts to ensure compliance with standards that call for vessels to slow down within 40 nautical miles (nm) of the shore.

The initiatives - the Vessel Speed Reduction Program at Los Angeles and the Green Flag Program at Port of Long Beach - urge vessel operators to slow down to 12 knots or less within a certain range of the ports in order to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NOX), and sulfur oxide (SOX) in coastal areas, and offer annual rewards to vessel operators that achieve extraordinary compliance percentages.

Last year, a total of 226 MOL-operated vessels, which includes containerships calling at MOL's TRAPAC container terminal, as well as car carriers, tankers, and bulkers, navigated through the zone where the speed regulations are in place, according to MOL.

"The ports have clearly appreciated the company's efforts to comply with the program and contribute to a cleaner coastal environment. MOL has been awarded every year since the awards started at Los Angeles in 2008 and at Long Beach in 2005, respectively," MOL said in a statement.

"MOL continually contributes to environmental conservation not only in this area, but also at other ports all over the world, and takes proactive environmental steps on a global scale," MOL added.