Press Releases


September 25, 2009
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

Deep-Sea Drilling Vessel CHIKYU
Open for Public at Shingu Port

The deep-sea drilling vessel CHIKYU, operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC: Yasuhiro Kato, President), has been engaged in drilling operations of the IODP (*) Expedition 322 for the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTro SEIZE) Stage 2 in the Kumano Basin, off the Kii Peninsula. The CHIKYU is expected to complete the operations around October 10th and will call at the Port of Shingu.

To mark its port call, we are pleased to invite the public to take a tour of the CHIKYU. This open house event also commemorates the 30th anniversary of the opening of Shingu Port.

<Open House Details>

1. Date and time: October 17th (Sat)~18th(Sun) 2009, 9:30~16:00 (Last admission 15:00)
2. Venue: Sano Wharf No.3, Shingu Port
Sano, Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture
3. Admission: Free (no pre-registration required)
4. Hosts: JAMSTEC, Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture
5. Sponsor: Shingu Port Association
6. Notes:
1) The above schedule is subject to change or cancellation due to adverse weather conditions or other emergencies.
2) Children aged 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
3) For the safety of all visitors on board, admission may be restricted and visitors would then be asked to wait on the wharf.
4) Due to the many levels and steps inside the ship, visitors using wheelchairs or needing assistance to walk may be asked to refrain from boarding for safety reasons. Please contact us for further information.
5) The wearing of skirts is not advisable as some of the flooring inside the ship is wire-mesh. For this reason high-heels and sandals are not advisable either.
6) It takes approximately an hour to tour the ship. Please be informed that the toilets inside the ship will not be available for visitors.
7) We ask visitors to minimize the baggage they bring onboard. For safety reasons, plastic bottles, inflammable products and sharp objects are not allowed to be brought on the ship. Visitors may be subject to an inspection of their belongings.
8) For the prevention and control of the new influenza, visitors are subject to temperature checks with a non-contact thermometer (it takes only a few seconds). Visitors with flue-like symptoms, such as coughing, sneezing or a fever will be kindly asked to refrain from entry.
9) We kindly ask visitors to follow the instructions given by the attendants on the wharf and inside the ship. Entry to an area outside the tour route is strictly prohibited. Visitors failing to comply with any of the visiting rules will have their visit terminated.

* The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is an international marine research drilling program dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of Earth by monitoring, sampling, and instrumenting subseafloor environments. Through multiple platforms, preeminent scientists explore IODP principal themes: the deep biosphere, environmental change, and solid Earth cycles. IODP has operated since October 2003, funded jointly by the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the U.S. National Science Foundation. Additional support is provided by the 17-member European Consortium of Ocean Research Drilling, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Australia, India, and New Zealand.

Contacts:

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
(For open house)
Shozo Tashiro
Manager
Public Relations Division
(For Publication)
Toru Nakamura, e-mail: press@jamstec.go.jp
Manager, Planning Department Press Office