Japan’s environment minister led a 12-strong delegation to the International Car Operators finished-vehicle terminal at the Port of Zeebrugge on 6 September, according to a report published by reports on 16 September 2026.
The delegation was received by International Car Operators N.V., known as ICO, which the report identifies as a member of the NYK Group. ICO hosted the visitors at its finished-vehicle handling facility in Zeebrugge, Belgium, during the visit on 6 September.
Among the party was Hirotaka Ishihara, Minister of the Environment of Japan. The group comprised 12 government officials in total, who inspected operations at the terminal as part of the day’s programme described in the report.
The delegation’s programme included a visit to the LNG-fuelled pure car and truck carrier Wild Rose Leader. Sources noted the visit to the vessel alongside the terminal inspection in its coverage of the day’s events.
The report does not set out further detail on discussions held during the visit or on any subsequent statements by the delegation or ICO. It records the locations visited and the officials involved as factual elements of the port call and terminal inspection.
Visit composition and hosts
ICO hosted the delegation at its finished-vehicle terminal. The company is identified in the report as a member of the NYK Group and is presented as the organiser of the on‑site element of the visit carried out on 6 September.
The Wild Rose Leader formed part of the itinerary. The vessel is described in the report as an LNG-fuelled pure car and truck carrier and was visited by members of the Japanese delegation during the same programme.
Reporting and dates
Sources published the account of the visit on 16 September 2026, and the report gives the date of the delegation’s terminal and vessel calls as 6 September. Those are the dates recorded in the supplied report.
No further operational statistics, contractual details or follow-up actions are recorded in the supplied summary. The account is limited to the parties involved, the locations visited and the dates of the visit as noted above.
The visit recorded in the report brings together a national ministerial delegation and a commercial terminal operator within the port complex at Zeebrugge. The supplied facts identify the hosts, the visiting minister, the size of the party and the vessel visited without further elaboration on outcomes or related arrangements.