Tohoku News

Tokyo Gas and 13 other Japanese companies plan to set up a consortium "soon" to develop technology to mass produce floating offshore wind power facilities at a low cost, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday.The other companies include Japan's biggest power generator JERA and regional utilities Kansai Electric Power, Tohoku Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power, the Nikkei said.Although Japanese companies have offshore wind assets in countries from Taiwan to Belgium and Britain, they have yet to build large-scale farms at home.(Reuters- Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; editing by Mil

Japan's industry and land ministries on Wednesday picked three consortia, including one featuring Germany's RWE and its partners, to operate offshore wind farms in the second round of a public auction. They said they would award a fourth wind farm that was part of the tender at a later date.The results of the second major round under a new law to promote wind power were closely watched by energy companies at home and abroad, after the first round was dominated by Mitsubishi Corp.Japan's…

Japanese trading firm Marubeni Corp started commercial operation based on the feed-in tariff program for renewable energy at Akita Port offshore wind farm on Tuesday, it said in a statement.Japan's offshore wind power market, part of the country's goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, is set to grow as the government eyes installingup to 10 GWof offshore wind capacity by 2030, and up to 45 GW by 2040.Marubeni's $768 million project of two wind farms with 140 MW capacity at Akita…

Shofu Maru, the world’s first coal carrier equipped with the Wind Challenger - a hard sail wind power propulsion system - this week made the maiden port of call in Newcastle, Australia. Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) held a ceremony on October 24 to mark the occasion. "The Australian government has set a decarbonization policy to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and local port officials in Newcastle have high expectations and interest in the Shofu Maru, which contributes to decarbonization while transporting energy resources that support people's lives," MOL said.

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) on Wednesday said it intends to equip a second bulk carrier with the Wind Challenger hard sail system, which harnesses the power of wind to propel the vessel, improving efficiency and reducing fuel consumption and emissions.MOL Group company MOL Drybulk Ltd. will operate the vessel, which will transport wood pellets for sustainable wood bioenergy producer Enviva Inc. and has signed a construction contract for the new ship with Oshima Shipbuilding Co.…

While the maritime industry faces a long ‘to do’ list for the coming three decades, Hiroaki Sakashita, CEO, ClassNK, sees decarbonization as the definitive trend that will most dramatically impact the design, construction and life-cycle operation of ships.“It is decarbonization.”Hiroaki Sakashita, CEO, ClassNK, is definitive when asked to discuss the biggest challenge facing shipowners today. “Decarbonization will change the structure of seaborne trade, ships’ specification and design, ships’ operation, and the economic mechanism of maritime transportation.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has been working in cooperation with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), to conduct test operations and measurements for a small scale demonstration plant of the “Marine-based CO2 Capture System”, in order to verify the equipment’s use. The equipment has now been installed on board the Corona Utility, a coal carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. operated by “K” Line, at MHI’s Honmoku Plant at the Yokohama Dockyard…

Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) said it will conduct test operations and measurements for a small scale ship-based CO2 capture system in a world-first demonstration project aiming to verify the equipment’s use at sea.The two-year project, called Carbon Capture on the Ocean (CC-Ocean), includes partners Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and ClassNK and is being conducted with support from the Maritime Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), as part of its assistance project for research and development of marine technological advancements.The demonstration involves converting the design of an existing CO2 capture system for onshore power plant to marine environment…

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd., (“K” Line) has delivered the Tohoku Maru, a 91,000 DWT-type special coal carrier at Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.Tohoku Maru is same type as “K” Line’s specialized fleet for transport of thermal coal known as the “Corona-series”. The “Corona-series” consists of epoch-making coal carriers equipped with wide beam and shallow draft, which are said to be the most suitable type to enter ports of Japanese Thermal Power Stations to discharge cargo.Tohoku Maru is equipped with Advanced Flipper Fins and Rudder Fin which promote her propeller efficiency.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Tohoku Electric Power have announced that they intend to move ahead with a joint study to install the Wind Challenger telescopic hard sail system on a coal carrier.MOL said that the two companies have been studying the feasibility of using the Wind Challenger on ships carrying coal to Tohoku Electric’s thermal power plants and it was recently confirmed that a Wind Challenger-equipped vessel would be 'acceptable' in the port facilities serving the plants.Wind Challenger is a telescoping hard sail to convert wind energy to propulsive force, studied in “Wind Challenger Project”, which MOL take part as a leading member.The Wind Challenger Project started in 2009 with the “Wind Challenger Plan”…

Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) company Qatargas has set another milestone as it successfully delivered the 3,000th LNG cargo to Japan.The cargo was transported onboard Al Jasra, a conventional LNG vessel with a capacity of 135,000 cubic meters. The cargo was delivered to the Kawagoe LNG Receiving Terminal, owned and operated by JERA. The first ever Qatari shipment was delivered to Kawagoe LNG Receiving Terminal on 10th January 1997.Commenting on this achievement, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs, President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum, and Chairman of Qatargas Board of Directors, said: “We are delighted to celebrate the 3000th LNG delivery to Japan. This significant milestone comes over two decades following the first delivery to our foundation customer in Japan.

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has secured its first preferred supplier nomination in the Japanese offshore wind sector, winning a preferred supplier status for a 455-MW project in Akita prefecture.The agreement with Obayashi Corporation currently includes using SG 8.0-167 DD offshore wind turbines for the Northern Akita Offshore Wind Farm project, a deal which includes a long-term service agreement, with commercial operation scheduled to start in 2024. All deliveries are subject to Obayashi Corporation’s final investment decision.The Northern Akita pipeline will reach a capacity of up to 455 MW at a site located in the northern region of Tohoku, Japan.

On April 19, a naming ceremony was held at the Nagasaki Shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier owned by a joint company established by NYK, the Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Toho LNG Shipping Co. Ltd. (Toho LNG Shipping),* and Tohoku Electric Power Co. Inc. (Tohoku Electric Power).At the ceremony, the ship was named “Diamond Gas Sakura” by Yoshiro Tominari, representative director and president of Toho Gas Co. Ltd., and Toshinori Abe…

Anadarko said on Thursday it would seek long-term charters for around 16 liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers it would need to ship gas from a proposed project in Mozambique.The independent U.S. energy producer aims to take a final investment decision on the $20 billion project in the coming months, having signed up long-term buyers for its LNG.Anadarko said all the contracts signed so far, for over 9.5 million tonnes a year (mtpa) out of a capacity of 12.88 mtpa, were on a delivered ex-ship (DES) basis.The company could have sold the LNG on a free on board (FOB) basis, as do many U.S.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines announced that MOL, Tohoku Electric Power Co and Namura Shipbuilding have jointly earned an Approval in Principle (AIP) from Lloyd's Register for the design of an liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered coal carrier. The three companies have moved ahead with this project and recently conducted a Hazard Identification Study (HAZID), and finished the basic design. MOL noted that the AiP marks Japan's first jointly obtained by three companies - a shipping company, cargo owner, and shipbuilder - for a vessel powered by LNG. The vessel design ensures sufficient cargo capacity without making the hull larger by installing the LNG fuel tank at the stern, the partners say.

Asian spot LNG prices stepped higher this week, shrugging off months of weakness, as Royal Dutch Shell replaced lost output from its Peru plant via spot markets and as a flurry of higher-priced deals surprised traders. Peru's liquefaction plant suspended loadings for several weeks without explanation, exerting strain on Shell, which is the sole exporter of Peruvian LNG and was forced to pick up replacement supply on spot markets. "Shell doesn't want to be exposed so they've been covering their positions…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that MOL cooperated in the transport of the “Tachinepta” float (*1) Samba Carnival (*2) Components of the float, weighing about 5 tons in all, were placed into 15 containers and loaded aboard an MOL-operated containership. The vessel departed the Port of Shimizu on November 25, 2014, and arrived at Santos, Brazil on January 7. The Tachinepta was then assembled by craftspeople who traveled to the site from Goshogawara City, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. When the magnificent float was completed for the opening of the Carnival on February 13, it measured more than  featured in the  that began in Sao Paulo, Brazil on February 13. The year 2015 marks the 120th anniversary for signing the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Brazil.

NYK, the Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Toho LNG Shipping Co., Ltd. (Toho LNG Shipping), and Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. (Tohoku Electric Power) will participate in the joint ownership of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel for the Cameron LNG project in the U.S. through the jointly owned company Diamond LNG Shipping 3 Pte. Ltd. (DLS-3). In December 2015, MC reached agreement on a shipbuilding contract with MI LNG Company Limited in addition to a heads of agreement for time-charter party with Diamond Gas International Pte. Ltd.Then in May 2016, MC established a vessel owning company, DLS-3, on the assumption of LNG vessel co-ownership with NYK, Toho LNG Shipping, and Tohoku Electric Power.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) today announced that the coal carrier Soma Maru, which will serve Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., was delivered at Mizushima Shipyard of Sanoyas Shipbuilding Corporation on July 17, 2014. The vessel, which was jointly developed by Sanoyas Shipyard and MOL, is a state-of-the-art coal carrier with its wide-beam/shallow-draft shape and various safety and energy-saving specifications. It is a sister vessel to the Akatsuki, which was delivered in February of this year.

Asian spot LNG prices jumped this week, buoyed by hopes Korea Gas Corp's new tender would match past buying sprees and by emerging demand from China and Japan. Spot prices for June delivery rose to $5.70 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), a 20 cent jump over last week, but traders cited sharply divergent views on pricing, saying the disagreements contributed to market inertia. Still, Korea Gas Corp's Thursday tender for June and July supply - set to close on April 26 - immediately stirred up bullish offers, rescuing an otherwise muted trading week.

FMC Commissioner William P. The Panama Canal may remake world trade patterns. To be finished in 2015, the $5-billion expansion of the Panama Canal will create a third lane accommodating mega-ships nearly three times larger than previously passable and this may significantly reduce shipping time to Asia. The expansion impacts state ports, rail lines, trucking and cargo movement from the south and east to the west. The U.S., once an importer of natural gas, could see new shale gas development, LNG projects, and the faster shipping lanes open new Asian markets.

A new coal carrier Noshiro Maru was delivered on September 30 at Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Saikai city, Nagasaki prefecture. A delivery and naming ceremony was held at the shipyard on the same day and attended by Makoto Kaiwa, chairman of Tohoku Electric Power; his wife; and NYK Chairman Yasumi Kudo. The new ship is the third to take the name Noshiro Maru, the first of which began transporting coal for Tohoku Electric Power Co. Inc. 23 years ago. The vessel is named after Noshiro terminal in Akita prefecture, the destination for coal that is transported mainly from Australia and Indonesia to generate electricity for the Tohoku district of Japan.

Japanese utility Tohoku Electric has purchased an LNG cargo for delivery in the third week of March at a price in the low $7 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu) range, pushing Asian benchmark spot LNG prices lower, traders said. Tohoku's tender to buy one cargo closed this week, traders said. The price estimated by traders at around $7.20 per mmBtu sets a new benchmark for the Asian spot LNG price, its lowest since July 2010 and down from levels assessed by Reuters on Jan. 23 of $8 per mmBtu. (Reporting by Oleg Vukmanovic