MHI-MME, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Obtain AiP for Methane Oxidation Catalyst System Design
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…
Australian Government Seals Deal with MHI for Frigates
The Australian government and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) have concluded a contract for the construction of three upgraded Mogami-class frigates for Australia's General Purpose Frigate (GPF) program.In August 2025, the Australian government selected MHI's upgraded Mogami-class frigate (4,800 ton type) as the preferred platform to proceed to the next stage in the selection process for the country's GPF program.Construction will begin at MHI's Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works in cooperation with the Australian government…
Laborde Products Powers M/V Larry Gravely Towboat
Laborde Products powered the newbuild M/V Larry Gravely, constructed by Diversified Marine in Houma, Louisiana.The twin-screw towboat is equipped with a pair of Mitsubishi Tier 3 S6R2 main engines, each rated at 803 horsepower at 1,400 RPM. The engines were applied to support the vessel’s operating profile and the steady, day-to-day demands of aggregate service on the inland waterways.Built at Diversified Marine, the Larry Gravely was designed for consistent service, with propulsion decisions centered on durability, operating speed, and long-term serviceability.
Shipbuilding: Changing Shipyard Dynamics in Japan
Continuous design refinement and incremental productivity gains — reflecting the Japanese concept of kaizen — alongside unremitting attention to contractual performance and product quality have seen the country’s shipbuilders maintain a high profile in certain sectors of the commercial vessel market.The industry’s scale, reach and financial returns, though, have suffered from the onslaught of competition from its Asian counterparts, most notably China and South Korea, both of whom the Japanese contend benefit from both overt and covert state financial intervention.By the measure of output…
NYK Bulkship Partners Sets Sail
A new integrated structure that combines maritime transport, ship owning, and ship management.With the aim of further strengthening the competitiveness of the NYK Group’s dry bulk business, NYK Bulkship Partners Co., Ltd. (NBSP) was established on April 1, 2026.NBSP brings together the expertise and personnel cultivated over many years by Asahi Shipping Co., Ltd., Hachiuma Steamship Co., Ltd., and Mitsubishi Ore Transport Co., Ltd., and is a company that has an integrated business structure encompassing maritime transport, ship owning, and ship management.The company also integrates ship-owning functions — providing its own vessels to operating companies on long-term charters — with ship-management services that cover both its own and third-party vessels.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Delivers Training Ship
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has delivered the Wakashio Maru, a training ship for National Institute of Technology, Toyama College in Japan.This is the first replacement ship for the school since 1995 and the first ship Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has built for the school. The 56-meter vessel can accommodate 60 people.The ship will be utilized for navigation practice, operations, and ocean-related research, along with various other educational and community contribution activities to develop marine sector human resources…
Mitsubishi Delivers First Ammonia Fuel Supply Systems for Marine Use
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has shipped the first ammonia fuel supply system (AFSS) and ammonia gas abatement system (AGAS) for Japan Engine Corporation.The systems are designed for J-ENG’s first ammonia-fueled marine engine model 7UEC50LSJA-HPSCR and represent the first units produced by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding. Commissioning work for the systems will begin in due course.The AFSS is designed to supply ammonia fuel to the engine in a stable and safe manner…
Ferries: A Boost to Japan’s Long-Haul Ferry Fleet
Long-distance ferry routes form a key part of Japan’s national transport infrastructure, connecting the archipelago’s four major islands and littoral centers of population, commerce and industry.RoRo passenger (RoPax) ferry fleet renewal and development has been a constant process over the past two decades in particular, driven largely by freight demand in combination with the pursuit of cost efficiencies and in response to new legislative edicts and rising customer expectations.
ClassNK Collaborates with Japanese Companies on 3D Model-Based Approval System Testing
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…
Asia Pacific Maritime Returns to Singapore with Next-Gen Energy Focus
Asia Pacific Maritime (APM), Asia’s premier exhibition and conference for Shipbuilding & Marine, Workboat, Offshore, and Electric & Hybrid Marine, will return for its 19th instalment, from 25-27 March 2026 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, with its largest edition to date. Anchored by the theme “Future of Vessels, Solutions for Tomorrow”, APM 2026 is set to convene the global leaders to examine how the next energy technologies and innovation are driving the future of maritime.As decarbonisation targets intensify and digital innovation accelerates…
Tech Talk: Self-Propelled Mobile Seaport Passenger Boarding Bridge
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Transportation and Construction Engineering, Ltd. (MHI-TC), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has built and completed delivery to Yokohama City of the Mitsubishi Marine Bridge (MMB), a self-propelled mobile seaport passenger boarding bridge (SPBB). Manufactured at MHI's Mihara Machinery Works in Hiroshima Prefecture, the MMB was put into service at Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal on January 13. Capable of connecting to the large cruise ships that dock at Osanbashi…
Towboat M/V Al Sloss Delivered to Canal Barge
C&C Marine and Repair has delivered the M/V Al Sloss to Canal Barge Company, completing the first vessel in a four-boat newbuild series currently under construction for the New Orleans-based operator.The 2,600-horsepower, 87- x 34-ft. towboat was designed by C&C Marine and Repair’s in-house engineering team and constructed on an accelerated schedule, with delivery completed in approximately six months.Delivery of the remaining three vessels in the series is scheduled to follow at two- to three-month intervals.The M/V Al Sloss is powered by two Mitsubishi S12-R main engines…
Boston's Cathleen Stone Island Ferry Undergoes Refit
Boston Harbor's MV Outward Bound has returned to Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation for a mid-life refit. Redelivery is planned for spring 2026. Purpose-designed by JW Gilbert Associates and built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard in 1995, the 64-foot, 140-passenger steel vessel carries visitors and supplies seasonally to Cathleen Stone Island Outward Bound, which offers experiential outdoor programs for youth and adults on the island in Boston Harbor.Along with installing a new shaft and propeller…
Class NK GDA for World First Vessel Tank Tech
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, and Nippon Steel Corporation have received the world’s first General Design Approval (GDA) from ClassNK for a breakthrough tank technology that enables the manufacture of large low-pressure liquefied CO₂ (LCO₂) cargo tanks without post-weld heat treatment (PWHT). The achievement marks a significant step toward scaling up CO₂ transport capacity to support global carbon capture, utilization and storage…
MoU Signed to Establish Standard Design Framework Utilizing MILES for Liquefied CO2 Carriers, Alternative Fuel Ships
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group, Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., "K" LINE, MOL, NYK Line, JMU, and NSY have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a standard design framework to efficiently develop and carry out the initial design of liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carriers and next generation alternative fuel ships utilizing decarbonization technologies (such as ammonia fuel). MILES Co., Ltd. (formerly known as MI LNG Company)…
Lucinda Smith Tug Returns to Service with Mitsubishi Repower After Fire Damage
After sustaining extensive damage in a December 2024 fire, the tug Lucinda Smith has returned to the water with a fresh start powered by Mitsubishi S12R-Y3MPTAW-3 Tier 3 engines rated at 1260HP @1600RPM each. The repower was completed by Windward Power with support from Laborde Products, giving the rebuilt vessel renewed strength and reliability.Built in 1975 for the U.S. Navy as YTB-140, the Lucinda Smith has sailed under multiple owners and through several repowers across the country. That long history nearly came to an end with the New Bedford fire, but operator Robert B.
Tug Returns to Service Following Fire Damage
After sustaining extensive damage in a December 2024 fire, the tug Lucinda Smith has returned to the water with a fresh start powered by Mitsubishi S12R-Y3MPTAW-3 Tier 3 engines rated at 1260HP @1600RPM each. The repower was completed by Windward Power with support from Laborde Products, giving the rebuilt vessel renewed strength and reliability for her work on the East Coast.Built in 1975 for the U.S. Navy as YTB-140, Lucinda Smith has sailed under multiple owners and through several repowers across the country.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Delivers Vessel KEYAKI
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding delivered the large car ferry KEYAKI, built for Shin Nihonkai Ferry Co., Ltd. and Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT), at the Enoura Plant of MHI's Shimonoseki Shipyard & Machinery Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture on the November 11, 2025. The new ferry will serve on a shipping route between the cities of Otaru in Hokkaido and Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture.KEYAKI is the first ferry in Japan to adopt the latest energy-saving hull form, including a Katana Bow and buttock-flow stern hull with ducktail.
Eneos Warns on Skyrocketing Costs fo Offshore Wind
Eneos Holdings, Japan's top oil refiner which has been expanding into renewable energy, on Wednesday warned of the surging cost of developing its offshore wind project, with its CEO saying returns were difficult to achieve.Eneos unit, Japan Renewable Energy, won a government auction to develop the Happo-Noshiro 375-megawatt offshore wind project in Japan's northern Akita prefecture together with Spain's Iberdrola and Tohoku Electric Power Co in March 2024.
Maritime Partners Repowers M/V John Austin with Mitsubishi S12R-Y3
Maritime Partners has repowered the pushboat M/V John Austin, replacing its Cummins QSK38 (1300 hp @ 1800 rpm) with a Mitsubishi S12R-Y3 engine rated at 1260 hp @ 1600 rpm. After 28,000 hours on the previous platform, the decision to repower was driven by the need for reliability, reduced downtime, and a smarter long-term investment.The repower installation leveraged the vessel’s existing systems while making minor modifications. The S12R-Y3 fit within the original rail centers and paired with the Reintjes WAF 665 gearbox via adapter plate.
LNG Canada Starts Up Kitimat Train 2
LNG Canada has started production of liquefied natural gas at the second of its two processing units, known as Train 2, the company said.Both trains at the Shell-led project in Kitimat, British Columbia - each with a capacity of 6.5 million metric tons per annum - are now operational, a spokesperson told Reuters.LNG Canada is the first major LNG export facility in Canada and the first on the west coast of North America that provides direct access to Asia, the world's largest market for the liquid fuel.
Japanese Partners Launch Digital Shipbuilding Project
A group of Japanese organizations have launched an R&D project to build a comprehensive simulation platform and demonstrate its application in shipbuilding.The initiative is designed to enable the rapid development and delivery of high-performance next-generation ships. The project will build an “integrated simulation platform” that models the entire lifecycle of ship design, construction, and operation —including the supply chain. This comprehensive approach aims to optimize ship specifications and construction plans by integrating virtual engineering into the design process.Furthermore…
Company Consolidation Forms NYK Bulkship Partners
Three shipping and ship-management companies within the NYK Group - Asahi Shipping Co, Hachiuma Steamship, and Mitsubishi Ore Transport Co - entered into a merger agreement on to integrate their business operations.The companies entered into a merger agreement on October 28, 2025, and will integrate their operations under the new company NYK Bulkship Partners.As of September 30, 2025, number of owned vessels by the new company and its subsidiaries is 21, with 90 managed vessels.“NYK…