On February 1, 2024, we visited the container terminal of CMA CGM JAPAN Co., marine transport company in Honmoku. It was the second time for us to visit the container yard with Sagami Women’s University students. There were 11 participants this time: 8 Sagami Women’s University students, 2 general volunteers, and 1 board member.
The company’s container terminal is located at a place called Honmoku D4 Terminal, where participants gathered at Kannai Station on the JR Negishi Line and were taken to the terminal by the company’s microbus.
The tour consisted of the following, and lasted 2.5 hours with lunch in between.
1. Tour of the terminal premises in a microbus
(the premises are spacious, so the tour was conducted by bus)
2. Introduction of the basics of container transport and the company’s
business in the office
3. Discussion between two of the company’s young employees and students
from Sagami Women’s University
The tour of the premises took us into areas that are normally inaccessible, where we were introduced to the ships that call at the port, the huge cranes, and an explanation of the types of containers stacked high in the yard and the meaning of their movement within the premises.
As for the basics of container transport, the attendant explained it in an easy-to-understand manner, using as a case study a wheelchair that we had cleaned and maintained. She explained how containers are transported by truck to the yard, cleared through customs, and loaded onto ships. She also explained that more than 90% of marine transportation is done by containers and the company’s position in the global shipping industry.
Following lunch, two of the company’s young employees and Sagami Women’s University students were divided into two groups for a small round-table discussion. The main topic of discussion was their experiences and impressions regarding job hunting. The two employees of the company politely answered the active questions from the students. This round-table discussion was one of the most popular among the students during this visit.
When the tour was over, we were once again taken by microbus to Kannai Station. We received generous hospitality from many of the company’s employees. We’d like to express our heartfelt thanks to all of them.
Thank you very much.
February 7, 2024 Secretariat
〇Impressions from Sagami Women’s University students after the tour
It was a very valuable experience for us to be allowed to enter places we would not normally be able to see and to hear from employees. In particular, we were given the opportunity to speak with second-year graduates in the form of a round-table discussion, which was a great opportunity for both third-year students who are currently job hunting and second-year students who are just starting their job hunting.
By participating in the tour today, we learned about a world we had never known before, and by hearing how wheelchairs are transported outside of Japan, we feel that we have broadened our possibilities and horizons. It also made us feel more committed to the wheelchair project.
Thank you to everyone at CMA CGM JAPAN Co.!
〇The tour went like this.
(Left) A projector was used to explain the container yard and the shipping business.
(Right) Sagami Women’s University students ask questions in two groups around two employees who have been with the company for two years. The Q&A session was held in a small group, so it was a meaningful meeting for the students.