Classnk News

ClassNK has launched the co‑creation digital marketplace “ClassNK Design Data Marketplace” for stakeholders in the maritime industry. The marketplace is a matching site designed to promote linkage and utilization of 3D models and design data created ship design and owned by shipyards and design firms, together with various services provided by software vendors and other providers. It enables a wide range of stakeholders seeking design data or services to search for and compare relevant information according to their specific needs.

For ClassNK President and CEO Hayato Suga, the industry’s current moment is unlike anything he has seen in his career.Ask Suga to identify the single most consequential technical trend shaping future ship design and operations, and he answers without hesitation: AI.AI can improve risk prediction, enhance safety assessments, optimize environmental performance, streamline surveys, and fundamentally change how technical services are delivered.Internally, ClassNK is already using generic AI tools to improve workforce productivity and operational efficiency. But Suga’s ambitions go further.

Classification societies have always occupied a unique position in maritime: technical arbiters, rule makers, certifiers, and, increasingly, strategic advisors helping shipowners navigate some of the most consequential decisions in shipping’s and shipbuilding’s history. As maritime grapples with decarbonization mandates, digital transformation, automation, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence, that role is becoming both broader and more complex.For ClassNK, one of the world’s largest and leading classification societies…

ClassNK has released the “Guidelines for 3D Model-Based Approval (3DMBA)”, which summarizes the fundamental principles and standard practices for 3DMBA (3D Model-Based Approval), a next-generation design approval approach in which 3D models serve as the primary basis for approval.At the same time, ClassNK has released its 3DMBA-compatible drawing approval system “NK-PASS” and “ClassNK 3DViewer,” and has commenced operation of an integrated workflow for 3D model-based design approval.NK-PASS is a drawing approval management system provided by ClassNK. Traditionally used for 2D drawing approval.

Robustel’s MG460 Gateway and MG460 Forwarder have received ClassNK Type Approval as a Computer-Based System (CBS) under IACS UR E27. Issued under Approval No. 26CY029, the approval is valid until 23 April 2031.Robustel is a global provider of industrial connectivity and edge computing solutions, headquartered in Guangzhou, China. Founded in 2010, the company develops routers, modems, edge computing gateways, and purpose-built networking products for industrial and maritime applications.Robustel's maritime product portfolio is engineered for regulated and safety-critical environments…

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment Co., Ltd. (MHI-MME) and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., both part of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, have obtained Approval in Principle (AiP) from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for the basic design of a methane oxidation catalyst system for marine LNG-fueled engines, jointly developed with Daihatsu Infinearth Mfg. Co., Ltd. A presentation ceremony was held today at Sea Japan 2026, an international maritime exhibition being held at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto-ku…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has obtained an approval in principle (AiP) from classification society ClassNK for a liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier design equipped with wind-assisted propulsion systems.The vessel, developed with Samsung Heavy Industries, is designed to transport liquefied CO2 and incorporates three Wind Challenger units, a rigid sail system that uses wind power to assist propulsion.The approval covers a design with a cargo capacity of about 40,000 cubic meters intended…

ClassNK has carried out a regular reshuffle of its full-time executives effective March 17, 2026. Yoshifumi Miyatake has been appointed as Senior Executive Vice President, and current Corporate Officer Toshio Kurashiki has been appointed as Executive Auditor. President & CEO Hayato Suga, Executive Vice President Masaki Matsunaga, Yoshiya Yamaguchi, and Fumihiko Higashi continue in their current roles.Former Senior Executive Vice President Junichiro Iida, Executive Vice President Toshiro Arima, and Executive Auditor Katsuhide Kuno have assumed the position of Advisor to the Society.

ClassNK’s Fleet Cost Simulation service is reducing the heavy burden on shipping companies attempting to estimate the costs of transitioning to low- and zero-emission operations.Over more than two decades, regulators have worked towards providing the frameworks within which low- or zero-carbon fuels, energy efficient ship design, operational data and new technologies can support maritime decarbonization. Over that time, it is fair to say that there has often been tension between shipping’s agreement in principle to tightening regulation and its cost concerns.Certainly…

ClassNK has granted its “AUTO-Nav2(All)" notation to Japanese domestic liner container ship Genbu, the only newly constructed autonomous ship under the MEGURI2040 Fully Autonomous Ship Program by The Nippon Foundation.This notation identifies ships equipped with an autonomous navigation system approved by ClassNK, and it marks the world’s first case of an autonomous navigation notation being assigned to a vessel operating on medium- to long-distance coastal routes. The vessel was constructed by Kyokuyo Shipyard Corporation…

Japan’s Japan Engine Corporation and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have begun hydrogen co-firing operations on a full-scale main engine designed for large commercial vessels, marking a step toward the development of hydrogen-powered shipping.The work forms part of a government-backed project under New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, with participation from Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), MOL Drybulk, Onomichi Dockyard and ClassNK.The companies said the engine…

ClassNK has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) for the design of a liquefied CO2 carrier intended to support a floating offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) injection facility.The vessel is designed to serve a Socket SPAR unit, a floating injection system being considered for deployment in deepwater environments where subsea pipeline-based CO2 storage is not feasible.The certification confirms the feasibility of the carrier design from regulatory and safety perspectives…

ClassNK has certified Salam’s International, a ship recycling facility in Pakistan, as the first facility in the country to be certified by ClassNK for compliance with the Hong Kong International Convention for ship recycling. Based on this certification, the competent authority in Pakistan is expected to issue the Document of Authorization to conduct Ship Recycling (DASR) as required by the Convention.Pakistan acceded to the Hong Kong Convention in November 2023, and ship recycling facilities in the country have since been working toward compliance.

ClassNK confirmed the validity of the performance analysis evaluation for the automated kite system ‘Seawing’, which is being developed by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. and its French subsidiary OCEANICWING S.A.S., and issued a Statement of Fact (SOF). In response to environmental regulations and as a solution for reducing fuel costs, the implementation and installation planning of wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS), including kite systems, have been progressing. As standards for wind-assisted propulsion systems and ships equipped with such systems…

Japanese shipping major NYK Line has completed the basic design of a new long-distance subsea cable-laying vessel intended to support the development of Japan’s future high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission network, marking a key milestone in a national effort to strengthen offshore renewable energy infrastructure.The vessel’s design recently received General Design Approval (GDA) from classification society ClassNK, confirming that the concept meets relevant international…

ClassNK has issued approvals in principle (AiPs) for the concept designs of Bulk Carrier installed with a Membrane-based Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage System (OCCS) and 83,000m3 Ammonia Carrier with IMO Type B Independent Tank developed by Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. These AiPs demonstrate its feasibility from regulatory and safety perspectives.The recipients of the AiPs, as well as the applicable rules and guidelines, are as follows:Bulk Carrier installed with Membrane-based OCCSRecipients: Oshima Shipbuilding Co.…

US West Coast-based maritime company Minke Marine A.L. LLC has secured its second class society Approval in Principle (AiP) from ClassNK for its air lubrication sector (ALS) with a new patented design.The ClassNK AiP follows a similar AiP secured by Minke with DNV. The latest AiP comes as Minke Marine began receiving verified data from its first installation on a 55,000 DWT DNV-classed, Norwegian-owned general cargo vessel. Costing less than $485,000 to install, Minke said the initial data shows a positive fuel saving…

ClassNK and Prevention at Sea have announced a strategic collaboration aimed at delivering Dry Bulk Management Standard (DryBMS) training to shipping companies worldwide.Both parties have agreed to explore future synergies and expanded cooperation in related areas, including gap analysis and benchmarking of Safety Management Systems (SMS) against DryBMS requirements and other key maritime standards such as RightShip RISQ, SIRE, and TMSA.The collaboration also envisages undertaking…

The service "ClassNK Fleet Cost Simulation" provided by ClassNK has been honored with the Best Project Innovation Award at the Saudi Maritime Awards, hosted by Robban Assafina, the maritime media platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The award ceremony took place on January 29, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.The Saudi Maritime Awards, in partnership with the Transport General Authority of Saudi Arabia, were established to recognize and honor notable figures in the…

ClassNK has launched a joint pilot test with ten Japanese companies for its drawing approval system ‘NK-PASS’ and the ‘ClassNK 3DViewer, both compatible with 3DMBA (3D Model-Based Approval), scheduled for official release in spring 2026.3DMBA is an approach in which approval processes are centered on 3D models instead of conventional 2D drawings, and its adoption is expanding globally. By utilizing 3D models, it is expected to enhance visualization and accuracy for information that was difficult to identify in traditional processes…

Coach Solutions, a Kongsberg Company, and classification society ClassNK have partnered to deliver an automated emissions data verification process for their mutual clients.The companies said the process creates a seamless experience for shipowners and Document of Compliance holders who need to extract, standardize, verify and share vessel data for transparent use by stakeholders.The integration with ClassNK is a strategic partnership that, from January 2026, will further strengthen Coach’s mission to put practical…

Yanmar Power Solutions Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Yanmar Holdings, has become the first engine manufacturer in Japan to obtain both type approval certificate1 and NOx certificate2 from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for its pilot-ignition hydrogen-fueled 4-stroke high-speed engine for power generation for domestic coastal vessels as part of the Nippon Foundation’s Zero Emission Ships Project.In 2025, Yanmar Power Solutions was intensifying its land-based demonstration tests utilizing a small amount of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a pilot fuel…

Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Japan Suiso Energy have signed a contract to build the world’s largest liquefied hydrogen carrier, marking a step toward the commercialization of an international hydrogen supply chain.The vessel will have a cargo capacity of about 40,000 cubic meters and will be built at Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ Sakaide Works in Kagawa Prefecture. Japan Suiso Energy is the project operator for Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Green Innovation Fund Project…