The tragic events in Japan have evoked a large scale international relief effort as the nation continues to deal with the enormity of the disaster. World-wide, maritime nations have been quick to respond and ships of all types have been deployed off the coast of Japan, providing humanitarian assistance to victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Australian-built ships are among this number, playing their own part in the relief effort. Both Aomori on Honshu and Hakodate on Hokkaido, the traditional home ports for Incat-built 367.5-ft catamaran Natchan World, have been hectic.