Japanese Foreign

Japanese Foreign Ship Orders Plummet

Japanese shipyards received foreign orders for 21 vessels totaling 581,100 grt in July, down 39.6 percent from a year before, the Japan Ship Exporters' Association reported. Nineteen orders were for bulk carriers and two for freighters, it said. The statistics include orders association members received for steel vessels of 500 grt or more.

Japan's Fleet Inspected, PM Emphasizes New Role

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda emphasized the importance of Japan's Self-Defense Force (SDF) during his fleet inspection. PM Yoshihiko Noda considered that the role of the SDF is increasing following emerging territory issues. Forty-five vessels participated in the event including ships from the United States, Australia and Singapore navies. It was the first participation of foreign ships in the MSDF fleet review since 2002, media reported.

Japan's Biggest Shipping Firm to Add More LNG Tankers

Nippon Yusen KK, Japan's biggest shipping company, has upwardly revised its plan to expand its fleet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers, a major Japanese financial paper reported Wednesday. Nippon Yusen's initial business plan called for it to either own or have invested in the construction of about 60 such tankers by fiscal 2010. It has now raised that figure to roughly 80-100 tankers, the Nikkei Shimbun said.

Japanese To Combine Tanker Ops

Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Corp. and Cosmo Oil Co. Ltd., Japan's largest and third-largest oil refiners respectively, will integrate their tanker operations in November as a streamlining step under a year-old alliance. The companies said they expect to cut their combined freight costs by at least $4.62 million a year through the move. Japanese oil companies are under tremendous pressure from larger foreign-owned rivals like Exxon Mobil Corp

USS Harpers Ferry and JS Ohsumi Complete Transport Exercise 2007

USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) completed Transport Exercise (TRANSPORTEX) 2007 with the Japanese Ship (JS) Ohsumi (LST 4001) off the coast of Japan on March 7. TRANSPORTEX was a training exercise designed to enhance the maritime transport proficiency and interoperability of the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) in support of humanitarian relief missions. “In the past 15 years, amphibious forces have been the first responders in numerous humanitarian crises

Three Tankers Purchased

Unknown Italian buyers recently purchased three 1979 Japanese-built tankers for a total of $5.9 million. The vessels acquired by the Italians were the Sarpindo Palapa (16,370-dwt), the Sarpindo Primuda (16,319-dwt) and the Sarpindo Pribumi (16,291-dwt). Another tanker sold was the 1986 German-built Leng (10,628-dwt) purchased by unidentified Danish buyers for $11.9 million. Unknown buyers purchased four Japanese-constructed bulk carriers for a total of $32 million.

Senate Passes CG Authorization Bill

The Senate passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2004. Negotiations can now commence to resolve differences between this bill and the version adopted by the House of Representatives some time ago. The major difference between the two bills regards security plans for foreign vessels subject to the ISPS Code. The House bill would, in accordance with language in the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA)

This Day in Naval History – Dec. 10

1941 - Guam surrenders to Japanese. 1941 - Aircraft from USS Enterprise attack and sink Japanese Submarine I-70 north of Hawaiian Islands. A participant in the Pearl Harbor Attack, I-70 is the first Japanese combatant ship sunk during World War II. 1941 - PBY piloted by LT Utter of VP-101 shoots down Japanese ZERO in first Navy air-to-air kill during World War II. 1950 - Evacuation operations at Wonson, North Korea, completed.

Japan Authorizes ABS as Recognized Organization

Government grants class society authority to inspect on its behalf ABS was granted authorization by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to serve as a Recognized Organization of the State of Japan.  This authorization allows ABS to provide statutory certification services to Japanese-flagged vessels on behalf of the government. “This authorization strengthens our global coverage and allows vessel owners and operators greater operational flexibility

Shipping Disruptions: Japan Battles Back

Japan is waging a public relations war as it struggles to control the nuclear contamination threat at home while playing down the concerns of consumers abroad. Fears of tainted goods from the battered nation are affecting trade flows, with regional weather distributing radiation particles and hysteria across Asia. In South Korea, panic over radioactive rain in March saw schools shut down en masse, despite the minute level of radiation posing no known health risks.