Japanese Ocean News

Japanese ocean-going shipping companies, NYK Line, MOL and "K" LINE, along with the Japanese Shipowners' Association (JSA), have begun discussions regarding the donation of a large-sized training vessel to the Japan Agency of Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers (JMETS).The move is recognition of the importance of training and securing highly skilled Japanese seafarers to maintain and further develop maritime transport.As identified in the report by the Ministry of Land…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and Shell Marine Products Singapore, a business division of Shell Eastern Trading Pte. Ltd (Shell), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly focus on the advancement of alternative maritime solutions and managing carbon emissions liabilities holistically, particularly in the development of green future marine fuels. As part of the agreement, the two companies will look to jointly conduct trials to explore the viability of bio- and synthetic fuel options as realistic decarbonization pathways.

Japanese subsea cable laying firm Kokusai Cable Ship (KCS) and the shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) have signed an agreement to collaborate on the operation of cable-laying ships to meet the increasing demand for the installation of power cables, especially in the offshore wind sector.KCS, established in 1966, was the first company to launch a subsea cable laying ship - the KDD Maru - in 1967. The company has, over the years, been involved in the construction of some 70,000km of submarine cables, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region, and today oversees the maintenance of over 87,000km of cable.In 2019, KCS launched the KDDI Cable Infinity, Japan’s first self-propelled power and telecommunication cable-laying ship. MOL and its group company MOL Marine & Engineering Co., Ltd.

Japanese ocean transport company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) named the newbuilding LNG carrier Sohshu Maru ordered by Trans Pacific Shipping 8, a joint venture between MOL and JERA Co., Inc., the world's biggest LNG buyer.The naming ceremony was held at the Sakaide Works of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kobe city, Hyogo.Among those on hand for the event were JERA Chairman Toshihiro Sano, who named the vessel the Sohshu Maru, after which his wife, Mrs. Eiko Sano cut the rope.Sohshu Maru is equipped with DFDE (Dual Fuel Diesel Electric) propulsion system(Note2). This system achieves heat efficiency, and is a more environment-friendly, economically superior design than normal Steam Turbine propulsion system.DFDE system can use both heavy fuel oil and natural gas…

Japanese ocean transport company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL)  announced that its annual safety campaign will begin on July 15, targeting all MOL Group-operated and owned vessels."Safety is the topmost priority in all MOL business activities. The company views safe operation as a key social obligation, and is committed to forging ahead to become the world leader in safe operation," said a press release from the Tokyo-based carrier of containerized and other cargo.As part of these efforts, the president, executives, and other personnel will actively conduct an extensive series of visits to MOL Group-operated and owned vessels. During their visits…

New joint venture company Ocean Geo-Frontier (OGF) on Monday signed a consignment service agreement with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) for geophysical surveys to be conducted by a three-dimensional geophysical survey vessel.OGF was established in December 2018 to meet an expected demand increase for offshore surveys after Japan’s Cabinet Office approved the Third Basic Plan on Ocean Policy for the development of domestic resources, including oil and gas…

A naming ceremony was held Monday at Japan Marine United Corporation’s (JMU) Kure shipyard for the first newly built containership painted in Ocean Network Express' (ONE) corporate color.The new magenta box ship, named ONE Stork, is the 10th of 15 new 14,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels ordered by Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK). It will be chartered by Singapore-based ONE, which began operations on April 1 by integrating the container businesses of Japanese ocean carriers Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), Mitsui O.S.K.

For three Japanese ocean carriers combining their shipping container business into ONE, the future is bright and it comes in magenta. The future arrives this April. ONE stands for Ocean Network Express, a joint venture of “K” Line, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and NYK Line that consolidates the three companies’ container shipping units into a single, integrated company. ONE chose the vibrant mix of purple and red to convey the energy and excitement of the new business model with a color that pops amid the muted blue and brown containers crossing the docks. “We’re very excited. We have this moment to combine the best practices of our former companies with new technologies to support our customers,” said Maria Bodnar, Senior Director of Beneficial Cargo Owner Sales for ONE North America Inc.

The moored museum ship Hikawa Maru was officially designated as an Important Cultural Property by the nation’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Hikawa Maru is a Japanese ocean liner that Yokohama Dock Company built for Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK). She was launched on 30 September 1929 and made her maiden voyage from Kobe to Seattle on 13 May 1930. In commemoration of this recognition, an exhibit titled “Marugoto Hikawa Maru” (The Entire Hikawa Maru) is being held until December 25 at the NYK Maritime Museum in Yokohama. The exhibit includes diaries of people associated with the ship, cabin color schemes, brochures, photographs, and routes showcasing the ship’s 86 years of history.