Daiichi News

Japan will release more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear station into the sea, the government said on Tuesday, a move opposed by neighbors including China, which called it "extremely irresponsible."The first release of water will take place in about two years, giving plant operator Tokyo Electric Power time to begin filtering the water to remove harmful isotopes, build infrastructure and acquire regulatory approval.Japan has argued…

Nearly a decade after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan's government has decided to release over one million tonnes of contaminated water into the sea, media reports said on Friday, with a formal announcement expected to be made later this month.The decision is expected to rankle neighboring countries like South Korea, which has already stepped up radiation tests of food from Japan, and further devastate the fishing industry in Fukushima that has battled against such a move…

Dry bulk shipping companies being hit the hardest on account of the deteriorating business climate are likely to be swept by a new wave of bankruptcies, reports Nikkei. The global commodities bust has rocked the dry-bulk shipping industry, with a wave of bankruptcies washing across the sector and major players forced to restructure, divest or scrap assets. Many in the industry had hoped it would start to recover this year. But there is not much sign of that—and it looks as if more pain is still in store for shipowners. On Jan. 5, the Shanghai International Shipping Institute issued a striking report after polling about 50 of the nation's largest bulk shippers. The survey concluded that 60% of the firms it polled were struggling with long-term losses and about 40% faced liquidity problems.

Downturn in dry freight market started in 2008; more ships expected to hit the water next year. Shipping companies that transport commodities such as coal, iron ore and grain face a painful year ahead, with only the strongest expected to weather a deepening crisis caused by tepid demand and a surplus of vessels for hire. The predicament facing firms that ship commodities in large unpackaged amounts - known as dry bulk - is partly the result of slower coal and iron ore demand from leading global importer China in the second half of 2015. The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index - which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities - plunged to an all-time low this month.

A slump in dry bulk shipping is set to worsen as the meltdown in global commodities and too many ships free for hire rock the sector used by investors to gauge the health of world trade. Slower coal and iron ore demand from China - the world's biggest industrial importer - have battered the dry bulk sector, already in the midst of its worst ever downturns that is expected to extend well into next year. This week the Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index , which tracks rates for ships carrying dry bulk commodities and seen by investors as a forward-looking indicator of global industrial activity, plunged to an all-time low. A slump in oil and other commodity prices, due to slowing Chinese demand, has widely been seen as one of the reasons for U.S.

Looking at the Company’s business performance for the first half of FY2015, operating income and ordinary income improved as the tanker division enjoyed favorable market conditions, backed by a decline in bunker prices, says Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). On the other hand, net income for the second quarter decreased from the previous announcement because the Company recorded an extraordinary loss from the stock revaluation of its equity method affiliate, Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha (“Daiichi Chuo”), as a result of that company’s decision to commence civil rehabilitation proceedings. The Company made a downward revision of its full-year business performance compared to the previous announcement…

Financially-troubled Japanese dry bulk specialist Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha plans to halve its current long-distance shipping fleet, reports Nikkei. The debt-ridden shipowner under civil rehabilitation proceedings, also plans to improve profitability by updating charterage to shipowners. Through these measures, the Japanese bulk shipper aims to reshape its business in a bid for stable profits. It  has already sold off one of its prized shipping assets to a rival Japanese owner. The 2010-built Capesize bulker and its remaining 15-year charter to compatriot NS United Kaiun Kaisha and its Panamanian subsidiary company for USD 63.38 million. The company will reduce the number of long-distance cargo vessels from roughly 120 to around 50.

Dry bulk shipping faces more earnings pain as a slowdown in commodities demand and a glut of ships are expected to pile on the pressure well into 2016, ship industry players said on Wednesday. The dry cargo shipping industry has been hit hard this year by the global commodities meltdown with average earnings for large capesize ships - which haul iron ore and coal - barely covering operating costs this year and overall dry bulk rates falling to their lowest levels in decades. "Our…

Daiichi Chuo liabilities total $1.5 bln. Second dry bulker to seek bankruptcy protection this month. Japanese bulk carrier Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha said on Tuesday it had filed for protection from creditors - the second shipper to do so this month - with analysts predicting more failures if the market for dry freight continues to slump. The shipping industry has been hit hard by the global commodities meltdown with the dry freight market near six-year lows and rates for large ships carrying iron ore and coal barely covering operating costs this year. Daiichi Chuo said it had been unable to make ends meet on ships it had chartered or finance ships it had ordered…

An international research team reports results of a three-year study of sediment samples collected offshore from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in a new paper published August 18, 2015, in the American Chemical Society's journal, Environmental Science and Technology. The research aids in understanding what happens to Fukushima contaminants after they are buried on the seafloor off coastal Japan. Led by Ken Buesseler, a senior scientist and marine chemist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)…

Debris from Japan's 2011 tsunami will continue to litter the North American coastline over the next three years, with everything from refrigerators to lumber and sports balls still floating offshore in the Pacific, an expert said on Tuesday. About one million tons of debris was still lingering in the Pacific Ocean four years after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, the most powerful ever recorded in Japan, set off a series of massive tsunami waves that devastated a wide swathe of Honshu's Pacific coastline and killed nearly 20,000 people. It also damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, leading to a series of explosions and meltdowns in the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl 25 years earlier.

Calnetix Technologies today announced the introduction of a revolutionary new system that produces up to 125 kW of power for the ship’s electric load from heat recovered out of the engine’s jacket water. The Hydrocurrent system was developed by Calnetix in conjunction with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery and Engine Company (MHI-MME) and is being introduced to the worldwide maritime industry at SMM this week. “Hydrocurrent pays for itself in a very short time by reducing the load on the ship’s bunker-fueled generators,” said Vatche Artinian, Calnetix chairman and CEO. Calnetix’s new waste-heat recovery technology uses an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) heat recovery process with Calnetix’s patented Thermapower and Carefree Integrated Power Module (IPM)…

An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 occurred on Saturday off the eastern coast of Japan, triggering a small tsunami with waves up to 20 inches, but no damage on the northeast coast of the country will be reported, local meteorological agency said. Northeastern Japan was devastated by a catastrophic tsunami in March 2011. No irregularities were reported at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was severely damaged by the disaster of 2011, which caused the worst nuclear accident in the world since the Chernobyl meltdown in Ukraine in 1986. The earthquake reached category 4 on the Japanese seismic scale of 1-7, which means that there is little chance that generated serious damage.

Torrential rains from a weakened but still dangerous typhoon battered Japan's Okinawa islands on Wednesday, leaving two dead and threatening widespread flooding as the storm headed for the nation's main islands. Typhoon Neoguri, a super typhoon as it bore down on Okinawa this week, had winds gusting up to 162 kph (100 mph) on Wednesday, but weather forecasters said the major concern now was rain, especially as parts of the westernmost main island of Kyushu have already been hit by heavy rain over the last week. Authorities warned of record rainfall in Okinawa as rivers in some areas overflowed. More than 200,000 residents were told to leave their homes, down from over 500,000 on Tuesday.

One man died, more than 500,000 people were urged to evacuate and hundreds of flights were cancelled in Japan as a strong typhoon brought torrential rain and high winds to its southwestern islands and could bring heavy rain to Tokyo later this week. Typhoon Neoguri weakened from its original status as a super typhoon but remained intense, with gusts of more than 250 km per hour (155 mph). It was powering through the Okinawa island chain where emergency rain and high-seas warnings were in effect. The storm was at its most powerful when passing Okinawa, some 1,600 km (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo on Tuesday, but the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned of heavy rains and potential flooding in Kyushu…

Hundreds of flights were cancelled in Japan and more than 500,000 people urged to evacuate as a powerful typhoon brought torrential rain and high winds to southwestern islands and was forecast to reach Tokyo later in the week. Typhoon Neoguri weakened from its original status as a super typhoon but remained intense, with gusts of more than 250 km per hour (155 mph). It was powering towards the Okinawa island chain where emergency rain and high-seas warnings were in effect. There are no nuclear plants on Okinawa but there are two on Kyushu, which lies in the area through which the typhoon is likely to pass after hitting Okinawa. There is another on Shikoku island, which borders Kyushu and could also be affected.

Japan's weather agency on Monday issued emergency warnings to urge people in the country's southern islands to take maximum precautions as a super typhoon described as a "once in decades storm" is set to rake the Okinawa island chain with heavy rain and powerful winds. Typhoon Neoguri was already gusting at more than 250 km an hour (150 mph) and may pick up still more power as it moves northwest, growing into an "extremely intense" storm by Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. But it was not expected to be as strong as Typhoon Haiyan, which killed thousands in the Philippines last year. The JMA issued emergency storm and high sea warnings for Japan's small southern island of Miyakojima, some 300 km (188 miles) southwest of Okinawa island, and for a smaller nearby islet.

Earlier this week, Commissioner William P. Doyle met with Japanese public and private sector officials to discuss U.S. natural gas, exports, and the Panama Canal. Japan is the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The country has relied on imported natural gas for decades as part of its energy portfolio. However, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, disabled the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Subsequently Japan has increased its level of reliance on LNG imports. The U.S. may become an important LNG supply source for Japan in the coming years.

The Navy League of the United States mourns the death of its past national president, Capt. Daniel B. Branch Jr., USN retired. He died on Oct. 21, 2013, of complications from mesothelioma cancer at the age of 75. Memorial services will be held Thursday Oct. 24, at 2 p.m. at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, 7520 South Boulder Road, Boulder, Colo. Burial services will be held at a future date at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. Dan was born in Greenbelt, Md., in 1937, and graduated in 1959 from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Charterer incurs US$138-million liability by breach of 'safe port' warranty in the 'Ocean Victory' case. Alistair Feeney, partner of London law firm Holman, Fenwick & Willan LLP gives valuable insights via London P&I Club news. The recent decision of the Commercial Court in Gard Marine & Energy Ltd v China National Chartering Co Ltd (The Ocean Victory) [2013] EWHC 2199 (Comm) serves as a useful reminder of how far charterers' warranties of port safety extend, and the size of the liabilities that may result when such warranties are breached.

Rear Admiral Mark “Buz” Buzby, commander of the Military Sealift Command, sat with Maritime Reporter contributing editor Edward Lundquist talked with a week before his retirement aboard USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) at Little Creek, Virginia, on May 10, 2013. The talk centered on a unique event in maritime history. MSC had seven ships in the area east of Japan, responding to the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed 19,000 people. One of them was the fast combat support ship USNS Bridge (T-AOE 10)…

At the 151st Annual Meeting of the Members of ABS, and the subsequent meeting of the ABS Council, industry leaders were elected to serve on a number of bodies that contribute to the operation of the classification society as it fulfills its mission of promoting the security of life and property and preserving the natural environment. "ABS' strength as a global classification society is drawn from its membership and the many regional, national and technical committees that contribute to the process of developing practical, impartial and authoritative standards," said ABS Chairman Robert D. Somerville. •    Robert G. •    James G. •    Maria F. •    Chow Yew Yuen, Keppel Offshore & Marine USA Inc. •    Dr. Jen-Hwa Chen, Chevron Shipping Co. •    Dr.

The newly developed remote control Giraffe Robot can reach up to 8 meters to control valves in hostile environments. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has developed a remote-controlled robot, dubbed the 'MHI-Super Giraffe (MARS-C), which is capable of working at heights up to 8 meters (m) and moving freely in areas inaccessible by humans in, for example, highly radioactive environments. By changing the robot arm and/or tool attached at the arm end, the MARS-C can perform various tasks including valve opening/closing and radioactive decontamination work.