Japans Mitsui OSK Lines announced that on August 18 it was joining its Omani counterparts in announcing the appointment of the first Omani captain serving on a jointly-owned LNG carrier. MOL has been working with Omans shipping company Asyad since the early 2000s, when the latter was established as state-owned Oman Shipping Company. MOL at the time signed a partnership agreement with the Omani business to support widespread growth in the shipping industry.