Hitachi, MOL and Japan Airlines Begin Japan’s First Direct Ocean Capture Pilot on Kume Island

Hitachi Ltd., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Japan Airlines (JAL) have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch Japan’s first Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) pilot on Kume Island in Okinawa Prefecture. The project will install a containerised facility on land that draws seawater, extracts dissolved carbon dioxide and stores it for possible use in synthetic aviation fuel (e‑SAF) and other applications.

The pilot aims to assess the technical performance, operational challenges and environmental impacts of DOC technology in Japanese coastal waters. Data collected will support future commercial deployment and contribute to a domestic carbon‑removal industry, aligning with broader blue‑economy and climate‑neutral goals for hard‑to‑decarbonise sectors such as aviation and shipping.