Imabari News

Imabari Shipbuilding will install a MAN B&W 7S60ME-Ammonia engine with SCR in connection with the construction of a 200,000 dwt bulk carrier for a joint venture between K Line, NS United and Itochu Corporation.The business represents one of the first projects for MAN Energy Solutions’ ammonia-powered engine that is currently under development in Denmark. MITSUI E&S will build the engine in Japan.Bjarne Foldager – Country Manager, Denmark – MAN Energy Solutions, said: “The interest in this revolutionary engine had been overwhelming…

Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has decided to expand its fleet with the additional five newbuilding dual-fueled Capesize bulkers, which can burn either LNG or conventional marine fuel oil.Two of the vessels will be ordered to Nihon Shipyard and built by Imabari Shipbuilding, while there remaining three will be built by Chinese CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding.The vessels are slated for delivery from 2026 to 2027, according to MOL. Including these five vessels, MOL will add a total of 13 LNG-fueled Capesize bulkers in their fleet.

Nova Marine Carriers group of Lugano, which is headed by the Bolfo Gozzi and Romeo families, announced the acquisition of two new ships,  finalizing the purchase in Japan of the (renamed) Sider Ambos, a 20,000 dwt bulk carrier, built in 2017, particularly suited to the steel and gypsum trades in which Nova Marine is engaged.A few days later a second 38,000 dwt vessel also joined the fleet. Built in 2012 by Imabari shipbuilding (and still in Japan) this ship has been renamed Sider Pera and will also operate under the cooperation agreement with the Greek Halkidon group.

Japan's NYK Line has recently taken delivery of the LNG-fueled pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) Sweet Pea Leader at Tadotsu Shipyard Co., Ltd., a member of the Imabari Shipbuilding Group. This is NYK's seventh LNG-fueled PCTC, with NYK planning to introduce a total of 20 new LNG-fueled PCTCs by 2028 as a bridge-solution to achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) by 2050 for the NYK Group's oceangoing businesses."Like NYK's other LNG-fueled PCTCs, the vessel was named…

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries - Engine & Machinery has announced that it recently signed a contract for 16 sets of HiMSEN methanol dual-fuel engines (8H32DF-LM) and selective catalytic reduction systems with Tsuneishi Shipbuilding in Japan.The engines are for four vessels which will be built at the Tsuneishi Zhoushan Shipyard in China, and the engines will be delivered to the shipyard starting in January 2025.Earlier this year, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries - Engine & Machinery signed…

Dry bulk owner and operator Norvic Shipping has taken delivery of a newly built ultramax vessel on a long-term charter as the organization continues to expand its fleet.The 64,000 dwt fuel-efficient vessel, named Norvic Copenhagen, will be deployed worldwide after being delivered by Imabari Shipyard during a recent handover ceremony in Japan.AJ Rahman, Group Chairman and CEO of Norvic Shipping, said, “Acquiring dry-bulk vessels on lengthy charters is part of Norvic’s strategy to expand our long-term fleet…

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding received orders from Imabari Shipbuilding for 12 units of its Fuel Gas Supply System (FGSS), a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel gas supply system for high-pressure dual-fuel marine engines. The equipment for 9 LNG-fueled car carriers and 3 LNG-fueled bulk carriers to be built by Imabari Shipbuilding Group will be continuously delivered from spring 2024.The FGSS ordered by Imabari Shipbuilding feature an optimized cargo space layout utilizing a modular design for exceptional space-saving and maintenance access…

Japan-based company PowerX has unveiled the detailed design of the first-ever ‘Battery Tanker’ at an exhibition in Imabari City, Japan. The inaugural ship “X” aims for completion by 2025, with domestic and international field testing planned to start in 2026. This electric propulsion vessel will be 140 meters long and will be equipped with 96 containerized marine batteries, providing a total capacity of 241MWh. "The onboard battery system is based on our proprietary module design, featuring safe and reliable lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells that ensure a lifespan over 6,000 cycles.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Nihon Shipyard -- a Tokyo-based joint venture for ship design and sales between Imabari Shipbuilding  and Japan Marine United Corporation -- have started joint study for the development of an ocean-going liquified CO2 (LCO2) carrier. Nihon Shipyard is pursuing this project with the aim of completing construction of the vessel from 2027 onwards.Demand for LCO2 carriers is expected to grow in the future as a means to transport large volumes of CO2 safely for CCS (Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage) projects, in which captured CO2 is stably stored underground.

NAVTOR secured an agreement with Shoei Kisen Kaisha, Ltd., one of Japan’s largest shipowners and managers, to deliver the NavFleet application across itsfleet of managed vessels. Shoei Kisen, a part of Imabari Shipbuilding, Japan’s largest shipbuilder, will introduce NavFleet to the existing NAVTOR digital ecosystem onboard its bulk carriers and container ships. This integrated system includes the NavStation digital chart table software (with automated Passage Planning), NavBox…

U.S.-based shipowner Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. on Tuesday announced it has purchased a 2015-built Ultramax bulk carrier for $27.5 million, as part of its fleet renewable program.The scrubber-fitted vessel, which was constructed at Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Japan, will be renamed the Tokyo Eagle and delivered to the company during the fourth quarter of 2022.As previously disclosed, the Eagle Bulk closed on the sale of the Cardinal (2004-built non-scrubber fitted Supramax) in August 2022.

A newly built wood chip carrier vessel recently delivered to Japanese shipping company NYK is equipped to collect ocean microplatics for researchers to study.The Stellar Harmony, built by Imabari's Iwagi Zosen Co., Ltd shipyard, was officially handed over on August 23. The vessel will transport wood chips mainly from New Zealand, Australia, North America and South America under a long-term contract between NYK and Marusumi Paper Co., Ltd.Once in operation, the ship will pump in seawater along its routes to collect microplastics floating in the ocean.

Norwegian shipowner Belships announced it has entered into agreement to sell and lease back a newly built Ultramax bulk carrier scheduled for delivery from Japanese shipyard Imabari in November 2022.The Oslo-listed company said it will sell the Belymato for an undisclosed price, and then operate the vessel on a 10-year bareboat charter with options to repurchase the vessel at "below current market levels".There is no obligation to purchase the vessel at the end of the agreement, Belships said. The rate is fixed for the entire period with an average cost of capital of 4.6%. Belships will pay a sum of $4 million as down payment upon signing…

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has taken its first order for LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) fuel supply systems (FGSS) for high-pressure dual-fuel marine engines, for installation on six LNG-fueled car carriers to be built by a group company of Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.The core components of the newly ordered FGSS are LNG fuel tanks, LNG fuel gas supply units and a control unit, and the package is designed with space-saving in mind…

Newbuild spend for vehicle carriers, including large car and truck carriers (LCTC), pure car and truck carriers (PCTC) and pure car carriers (PCC), smashed past $3.2 billion last week, following big volume orders from Eastern Pacific and Zodiac—an astonishing amount of money for a niche sector, exceeding the previous six years total combined. If we include options, a whopping $4.4 billion has been agreed year to date. Japanese shipyards have raised tariffs to $100 million for dual fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG) 7,000 car equivalent units (CEU), up by a staggering $10 million compared to last year. Chinese yards have followed but maintain a healthy discount quoting $88 million for an equivalent spec.

Japanese steelmaker JFE Steel has signed long-charters shipping firms NYK Line, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines to charter three 210,000-ton LNG-fueled bulk carriers for transporting iron ore and coal from overseas locations to JFE Steel’s steelworks in Japan. JFE Steel said the charters would make it the first company in Japan to deploy LNG-fueled ships in the 210,000-ton class, and said the move would help it cut emissions.The ships, which have been designed by Nihon Shipyard and will be built by Japan Marine United and Imabari Shipbuilding…

The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, resumed its journey to leave the Suez Canal on Wednesday, 106 days after becoming wedged across a southern section of the waterway for nearly a week and disrupting global trade.The Ever Given started to head north in the late morning across the Great Bitter Lake, which separates two sections of the canal and where it had been moored with its Indian crew since being refloated on March 29.It then joined the back of a northbound convoy, passing the site of a ceremony where the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) and representatives for the ship signed the compensation settlement that allowed for its release.Tarek Alzeki…

Evergreen Line took delivery of its sixth and seventh new 12,000 TEU class F-type containerships on December 15. Ever Forever was built at the Geoje Shipyard of South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries, and Ever Far was delivered by Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan.The two new large containerships set sail in good order after the delivery procedures were completed. The ships’ 58,000-horsepower main engines are powering the technically advanced vessels to their allocated loading ports on Evergreen’s trans-Pacific services. Ever Forever will be put into service on the Asia-U.S.

Singapore-headquartered container carrier Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE) said it has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Japan's Shoei Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. for the 15-year charter of six new ultra large containerships (ULCS). The vessels, with capacity greater than 24,000 TEU each, are said to be the world's largest.The newbuilds will be built by the consortium of compatriot shipyards Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Japan Marine United Corporation for planned delivery…

Tanker operator Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation has announced the delivery of the Baghdad, a new building VLCC of 313,433 dwt.Navios Maritime Acquisition said that the VLCC was delivered on October 28, 2020, from a Japanese shipyard. According to VesselsValue, the VLCC was built by Japan's Imabari Shipbuilding."The Baghdad has been chartered out to a high-quality counterparty for a ten-year period at a bareboat rate of $27,816 (net) per day. The charter party has an option for an additional five-year period at a bareboat rate of $29,751 (net) per day," the Greek shipowner Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation said in a statement.It did not say who the client was, however, images of the vessel found online show AISSOT written on the hull of the VLCC.

Imabari Shipbuilding Group's Tadotsu Shipyard in Japan has launched a new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled car carrier vessel for compatriot shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. ("K" Line).Construction is ongoing with an estimated delivery within the 2020 fiscal year.The main engine on this vessel is a dual-fuel diesel Mitsui MAN B&W ME-GI engine with exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR) to apply with MARPOL Annex VI NOx Tier III.The vessel, ordered by "K" Line in December 2018…

The Liberian Registry said it has augmented its leadership team to help keep pace with nearly 12% over the last 12 months. The Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR) has added to its ranks Thomas Klenum as Senior Vice President of Maritime Operations, and Reynaldo Garibaldi as Senior Vice President of Maritime Operations and South America.Klenum, based at the Registry’s headquarters, is in charge of the Regulations and Standards, Investigations, and Fleet Security and Certifications Divisions.

Classification society ClassNK granted Approval in Principle (AIP) for a 180,000 DWT liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dual-fuel bulk carrier concept design developed by Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in cooperation with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.The AiP was granted to the concept design based on ClassNK’s Guidelines for Ships Using Low-Flashpoint Fuels and its Rule Part GF (regulation for ships using low-flashpoint fuels) incorporating “International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low-flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code), the current IMO Res.