January 26, 2010
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

D/V CHIKYU Open to the Public at Shimizu Port
with
Related Events to Learn about her Mission

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology(JAMSTEC) will be hosting an open house of the Deep- Sea Drilling Vessel CHIKYU(*1) on March 6th and 7th at the Port of Shimizu. The Open house is designed to elevate the public’s awareness of ocean science and technology, as well as the missions undertaken by the CHIKYU.

To mark this event, a symposium featuring scientific achievements by the CHIKYU and updates on earthquake science will be held. Lectures for citizens will also be given on the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP(*2)), an international science project in which the CHIKYU plays a vital role.

Open House Details

1.Date and time	:	March 6th (Sat) and March 7th (Sun), 2010 Sat: 10:00~15:00 (Last admission) Sun: 10:00~14:00 (Last admission)
2.Venue	:	Hinode Wharf No.4 and No. 5, Shimizu Port, Shizuoka Prefecture
3.Admission	:	Free (no pre-registration required)
4.Hosts	:	Shizuoka Prefecture National University Corporation Shizuoka University School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University JAMSTEC
5.Sponsor	:	Shizuoka City Shimizu Port Passenger Ships Promotion Committee Shizuoka Disaster Management Consortium
6.Open house features	:	Please refer to Appendix 1.

Symposium commemorating the port of call of the CHIKYU at Shimizu

“Earthquake and its mitigation – CHIKYU and Earth Science Frontier”

1.Date and time	:	March 6th (Sat), 2010, 10:00~14:30
2.Venue	:	Shimizu Marine Building 1F, Hall
3.Admission	:	Free (no pre-registration required), limited to the first 500 people
4.Hosts	:	Shizuoka Prefecture National University Corporation Shizuoka University School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University JAMSTEC
5.Sponsor	:	Shizuoka City Shimizu Port Passenger Ships Promotion Committee Shizuoka Disaster Management Consortium
6.Secretariat	:	School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University
7.Program	:	Lectures will cover the scientific achievements from the past CHIKYU expeditions, and updates on earthquake research and disaster mitigation studies. For details, please refer to Appendix 2(in Japanese).

Lectures for General Public: IODP Missions

1.Date and time	:	February 13th (Sat), 2010, 14:00~16:00 (Admission starts at 13:30)
2.Venue	:	Shizuoka City Industry-University Exchange Center (B-nest) 3-21, Miyuki-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, PEGASART 7F
3.Admission	:	Free (no pre-registration required), limited to the first 80 people
4.Hosts	:	Japan Drilling Earth Science Consortium National University Corporation Shizuoka University JAMSTEC
5.Sponsor	:	Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
6.Program	:	Lectures will cover the scientific endeavors undertaken by IODP for which the CHIKYU has been dedicated as a main platform. For details, please refer to Appendix 3(in Japanese).

*1 Deep-Sea Drilling Vessel (D/V) CHIKYU

Main particulars: Length : 210m Breadth : 38m Depth : 16.2m Draft : 9.2m Gross tonnage : 57,087tons Max cruising speed : 12 knots Range : 14,800 nautical miles Complement : 150 people Propulsion system : Side thruster, Azimuth thruster

Built in July 2005, Deep-Sea Drilling Vessel (D/V) CHIKYU is the first riser-equipped scientific drilling vessel. It boasts the deepest drilling capability in the world, up to 7,000m below subsea floor. Serving as a main platform for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), the CHIKYU aims to drill into the seismogenic zone for megathrust earthquakes, get insight into the origin of life, and explore global climate change and new ocean resources, thus opening the door to a new future for mankind.

Following Stage One for the IODP Nankai Trough Seismogenic Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) from September 2007 to February2008, the CHIKYU undertook NanTroSEIZE Stage Two expeditions from June to September 2009, in the Kumano Basin, off the Kii Peninsula. It has been anchored in the Port of Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture since last December for equipment maintenance and in preparation for her next mission, through March this year.

*2 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 subsea floor 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.

Appendix 1

CHIKYU Open House

1.Date and time	:	March 6th (Sat) and March 7th (Sun), 2010 Sat: 10:00~15:00 (Last admission) Sun: 10:00~14:00 (Last admission)
2.Venue	:	Hinode Wharf No.4 and No. 5, Shimizu Port
3.Admission	:	Free (no pre-registration required)
4.Hosts	:	Shizuoka Prefecture National University Corporation Shizuoka University School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University JAMSTEC
5.Sponsor	:	Shizuoka City Shimizu Port Passenger Ships Promotion Committee Shizuoka Disaster Management Consortium
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 flu-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. 10) No parking lot will be available for the open house. Please use public transportation.

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Leaflet(in Japanese)[PDF:371KB]

Contacts:

Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
(For the open house and symposium)

Shozo Tashiro
Manager, Public Relations Division
Advanced Research and Technology Promotion Department

(For publication)

Toru Nakamura, e-mail: press@jamstec.go.jp
Manager, Planning Department Press Office