Imabari Shipbuilding Group News

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…

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…

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…

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (“K” Line) is proud to announce the delivery of “Corona Xanadu,” an 88,000 DWT-type special coal carrier at Shin Kasado Dockyard of Imabari Shipbuilding Group Japan on May 23, 2018. Corona Xanadu 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 the most suitable type to enter ports of domestic Thermal Power Stations to discharge cargo. Corona Xanadu is equipped with latest energy saving and ecological technology such as WAD (Weather Adapted Duct) which promotes her propeller efficiency and ballast water management system which saves marine ecosystems.

Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen is ordering ten 2,800 TEU container ships from Japanese shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding Co.,Ltd and compatriot CSBC Corporation. The deal between the companies is to buy 10 new 2800 TEU container vessels. The Contract value is $390mln. The first ship is scheduled to be delivered during the first half of 2018 with the final ship in the series is due by the first half of 2019. These are in addition to the order for ten similar vessels announced last month from CSBC in Taiwan. In August, Evergreen had already ordered ten similar 2,800 teu container vessels at CSBC. Evergreen plans to deploy all 20 of the new ships in the intra-Asia trade lanes.

Bestobell Marine, part of the President Engineering Group (PEGL), has received an new order to supply its globe and check valves for Japan’s first high pressure fuel gas system that will be installed within a marine vessel. The order will see Bestobell Marine supply a number of its cryogenic globe and check valves to be installed in two sister ships being built by Imabari Shipbuilding Group in Japan for Elcano. Bestobell Marine’s valves are required for the carrier’s MAN ME-GI engines, where natural gas is injected into the engine at over 300bar pressure.

During the second half of the 20th century, the Japanese ruled commercial shipbuilding. Today, numerous competitive forces in the Far East, led by South Korea and China, have continued to throw massive resources into building and maintaining modern shipbuilding dominance, so much so that it may seem as though the days of Japanese shipbuilding have passed for good. “Any single shipbuilder in Japan cannot fulfill a large-scale order, for example, for 10 ships,” an industry official told the Japan Times last September. Imabari Shipbuilding disagrees.

Star Bulk Takes Delivery of Its Second Ultramax Bulk Carrier, Star Fighter and Reaches Agreement for a New Credit Facility. Star Bulk Carriers Corporation, a global shipping company focusing on the transportation of dry bulk cargoes, announced that it has taken delivery of M/V Star Fighter (the "vessel" -- formerly "Supra Challenger II"), an Ultramax bulk carrier of 61,462 deadweight tons carrying capacity, built in Japan by Imabari Shipbuilding Group in September of 2013. Pursuant to the Company's flexible commercial strategy, the vessel has been employed on a short-term time charter for a period of minimum 4 months up to maximum 6 months, at a gross hire rate of $13,400 per day.

Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (Nasdaq: SBLK) took delivery of M/V Star Challenger (formerly M/V “Supra Challenger”), a 61,462-dwt Ultramax bulk carrier of built in Japan by Imabari Shipbuilding Group in November of 2012. The ship has been employed on a short-term time charter for a period of 40 days at a gross hire rate of $13,700 per day. Star Challenger is the first of the two modern Ultramax bulk carriers to be delivered to the Company, pursuant to the relevant definitive agreement announced on November 18, 2013. The second Ultramax bulk carrier, Star Fighter, is expected tobe delivered to the Company by the end of December 2013.

Star Bulk Carriers Corp., a global shipping company focusing on the transportation of dry bulk cargos, announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire two modern Ultramax bulk carriers, the M/V Supra Challenger I and M/V Supra Challenger II, from an unaffiliated third party for an aggregate total consideration of $58.1 million. The vessels have a carrying capacity of 61, 462 deadweight tons each and were built in Japan by Imabari Shipbuilding Group, in November of 2012 and September of 2013 respectively. The vessels, to be renamed Star Challenger and Star Fighter, are expected to be delivered to Star Bulk in early December 2013 and by January 15, 2014 respectively.

Aveva (LSE:AVV), supplier of engineering IT systems for the plant and marine industries, announced that several Japanese shipbuilders -- Namura Shipbuilding, Universal Shipbuilding Corporation, Shin Kurushima Dockyard, Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering and Imabari Shipbuilding Group -- have signed contracts worth over $2.5m to extend their use of Aveva marine solutions. The contracts were made in the first half of Aveva’s financial year ending 30 September 2008. Aveva marine solutions were first used in Japan by Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation in 1994. Kawasaki has since expanded the use of Aveva marine solutions to its commercial and naval yards. To date, there are more than twenty Japanese customers who actively subscribe to Aveva’s shipbuilding solutions.