Japanese Shipowners Association News

Japanese logistics major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that it marked the Marine Day holiday on Monday, July 15, by hosting a tour of the car carrier Emerald Ace at Harumi Pier, in cooperation with the Japanese Shipowners' Association (JSA), as a part of "The Umi-to-Nippon (The Ocean and Japan) Project".MOL welcomed about 600 elementary and junior high school students and their family members, which was twice as much as the event last year, who were selected in an online application process.The guests boarded the huge vessel-measuring about 200m long, and after a welcome message from the captain on the bridge, they got to see and touch nautical instruments and binoculars while receiving explanations from the deck officers…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that on Marine Day, Monday, July 16, it hosted a tour of the cutting-edge car carrier Beluga Ace at Harumi Pier, in cooperation with the Japanese Shipowners' Association (JSA).The company welcomed about 360 elementary and junior high school students and their family members, who were selected in an online application process.The participants boarded the huge vessel – measuring about 200m long and 50m-high –and made their first stop in the engine room, where they listened to a presentation about the equipment, and a select few got to experience the start-up of the power generator. Then, participants observed a demonstration of high-precision loading of vehicles…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL)  announced that on Saturday, May 12, in cooperation with The Japanese Shipowners' Association, MOL assigned its woman officers to hold a round-table discussion for about 30 students at Seisho Senior High School in Nara Prefecture. The event was part of the maritime industry's efforts to encourage young people in Japan to consider careers at sea. The presenter, who is on active service as the second officer of an MOL vessel, led a discussion in which she talked about the excitement and the challenges she has faced in her career. For many of the students, this was their first opportunity to meet someone who works as a seafarer, so they asked many questions and sparked a lively exchange of information.

GMS, a buyer of ships for recycling, has voiced its support of the Danish Ship Association (DSA) which refuses to ban beaching outright following the recent announcement by their Norwegian counterparts. GMS supports DSA’s position that ship recycling choice shouldn’t be based just on geography. A delegation from the DSA recently visited shipyards in Alang, India to see how some had upgraded their facilities to comply with the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling. The DSA believes…

Ship recycling yards in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh need to be part of the global scheme of sound ship recycling and those yards in Alang which have invested in fully upgrading their facilities to meet the terms of internationally-agreed rules should be rewarded by winning more business. This was the view expressed by Akihiro Tamura, Director of Shipbuilding Policy at the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro), shortly after returning from a fact finding trip to Indian recycling yards in Alang.

Earlier this week, Commissioner William P. Doyle met with Japanese public and private sector officials to discuss U.S. natural gas, exports, and the Panama Canal. Japan is the world's largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The country has relied on imported natural gas for decades as part of its energy portfolio. However, the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, disabled the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Subsequently Japan has increased its level of reliance on LNG imports. The U.S. may become an important LNG supply source for Japan in the coming years.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) met with the Japanese Shipowners Association (JSA) and several car manufacturers in Japan as part of the ongoing discussions with the vehicle carrier segment on the Expansion Program’s progress and future toll structure upon its completion. During the meetings, the Panama Canal provided an update on the Expansion Program and presented the analysis of the results for the potential pricing structure for the car carrier segment taking into account the feedback received recently from this group.

InterManager, the international trade association for the ship management industry, has started 2012 with significant expansion. In the first month of this year InterManager has welcomed two Full Members – ship management companies Histria and Green Wave – and two Associate Members – international law firm Hill Dickinson and crew communications provider SMART Link. And building on this momentum, InterManager has appointed Captain Paddy McKnight to the role of its International Maritime Organisation Permanent representative.

The Japanese Shipowners' Association (JSA) and the Norwegian Shipowners' Association (NSA) organised a bilateral high-level maritime round table conference in Tokyo on 20 May 2005. The round table was attended by the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry and the Japanese Assistant Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, high-level representatives of Class NK and Det Norske Veritas Classification as well as the presidents of JSA and NSA. Japanese and Norwegian interests control two of the world’s largest merchant fleets. The conference aimed at reinforcing already strong ties between the shipping communities of the two countries…