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Nakamura News

18 Sep 2020

Japan’s First LNG Bunkering Vessel Named at Sakaide Works

(Photo: Kawasaki Heavy Industries)

A naming ceremony was held for Japan’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel at Kawasaki Heavy Industries' Sakaide Works shipyard, on Wednesday.The ship, named Kaguyais, the first LNG bunkering vessel to be operated in Japan. Kaguya will be operated by Central LNG Marine Fuel Japan Corporation and will be based at JERA's Kawagoe Thermal Power Station. Kaguya will begin supplying LNG fuel to ships in the Chubu region in October or later this year using ship-to-ship bunkering.The 81.7-meter-long vessel was named by Yukikazu Myochin, President of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.

02 Jun 2020

Virus-hit Cruise Ship leaves Japan After a Month's Quarantine

The Costa Atlantica cruise ship, which docked in southern Japan with over 100 crew members testing positive for COVID-19, has left the country and is en route to the Philippines, local government officials said on Monday.The ship departed Nagasaki on Sunday over a month after it became the second virus-stricken cruise ship to dock in Japan. Lax control on the movement of crew whilst docked highlighted Japan’s patchy response to the pandemic.The 86,000 tonne Costa Atlantica docked for maintenance in late April carrying no passengers and 623 crew, most of whom were eventually quarantined inside the ship after 149 tested positive.Six remain hospitalised in a non-life-threatening condition…

22 Apr 2020

Costa Cruise Ship Docked in Japan Grapples with Coronavirus Cluster

©  jovannig / Adobe Stock

More than 30 crew members on an Italian cruise ship docked for repairs in Japan's Nagasaki prefecture have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising concern about the impact on the local community.The cluster of infections found on board the Costa Atlantica follows the case of the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama two months ago, where more than 700 were found to be infected, although this time only crew members were on board.The Costa Cruises-operated ship was taken into a shipyard in Nagasaki city…

26 Feb 2020

NYK Focuses on Ammonia as Marine Fuel

Japan-based shipping giant NYK has presented its concept for using ammonia as a marine fuel or zero-emission ships as part of the industry’s decarbonization drive.Ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide (CO2) when it is heated and would thus be expected to contribute to the effort to address global warming.In addition, if CO2-free hydrogen is used, zero emissions are said to be achieved. NYK is thus considering the use of ammonia as marine fuel, one of the solutions for decarbonization.The NYK Group is making efforts to create next-generation green businesses involving alternative marine fuels to realize decarbonization and the company’s basic philosophy of “Bringing value to life” and contributing to the betterment of societies.

03 Apr 2019

JERA, EDF Finalise LNG JV

Japan’s LNG importing giant JERA and global wholesale energy markets player EDF Trading have completed the transaction to merge their LNG optimization and trading activities into JERA Global Markets (JERAGM), the new name for JERA Trading.JERAGM is now the exclusive LNG optimiser for JERA and EDF S.A., managing their collective short and medium-term LNG optimisation activities in the wholesale markets. This transaction follows the successful completion of the acquisition of EDFT’s coal business by JERAGM on 4th April, 2017.“This is a great opportunity for EDFT which strengthens our partnership with one of the largest buyers of LNG and coal in the world.

21 Oct 2018

Arkas Bunkering, Sumitomo Corporation in LNG Bunkering Deal

Arkas Bunkering have signed a protocol with Japan-based Sumitomo Corporation for the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as bunker fuel in Turkish and nearby seas. As environmentally-friendly buildings, vessels and fuels have become more popular than ever, new applications acting as reminders for both states and civil initiatives of their environmental responsibilities continue to emerge. With International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) global sulphur cap set to enter into force in 2020, the maximum amount of sulphur allowed to be contained in bunker fuel will be reduced worldwide. In this regard, Arkas Bunkering, Turkey’s top bunker supplier for three consecutive years according to Energy Market Regulatory Authority data…

06 Mar 2017

Shigemi Named Executive VP at ClassNK

Dr. Toshiyuki Shigemi (Photo: ClassNK)

Dr. Toshiyuki Shigemi has been appointed as Executive Vice President as well as Executive Director of ClassNK, effective March 7, 2016. Yasushi Nakamura has stepped down as Senior Executive Vice President, and has been appointed as an Advisor to the Society. Dr. Shigemi joined ClassNK in 1981. After a career including roles in plan approval, ClassNK’s research institute, and on-site surveys, he took up the position of General Manager of the Development Department in 2008, where he was responsible for overseeing ClassNK’s rule development activities for over one decade…

07 Mar 2016

ClassNK Shuffles Leadership Team

Koichi Fujiwara (Photo: ClassNK)

Current Executive Vice President Koichi Fujiwara has been appointed as Chairman and President as well as a Representative Director of classification society ClassNK, effective March 7, 2016. Current Executive Vice Presidents Yasushi Nakamura and Tetsuya Kinoshita will continue in their present roles on the team, joined by Junichiro Iida as Managing Director. Noboru Ueda has stepped down as Representative Director, Chairman and President. Current Executive Vice President Tetsushi Agata has been appointed as an Executive Auditor as part of the Society’s aim to strengthen its auditing system.

20 Feb 2016

MOL to Promote Growth of Maritime Cluster

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that it will launch trial of onboard data transmission and accumulation for its operated vessels in cooperation with Ship Data Center Co., Ltd.(*) (Representative Director: Yasushi Nakamura; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK). MOL has worked steadily to create an environment that allows the collection of big data from onboard its operated vessels, and sharing the information between ship and shore in real time using marine broadband service. Based on the analysis of onboard big data, MOL also aims to build a comprehensive vessel operation support network…

05 Jan 2016

ClassNK: Amendments to Rules of Container Carriers

PRESS RELEASE --  Classification society ClassNK (Chairman and President: Noboru Ueda) announced that it released amendments to its Rules and Guidance for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships on 25 December 2015, including structural strength requirements of container carriers. In response to a large container ship casualty in June 2013, ClassNK established The Investigative Panel on Large Container Ship Safety, which comprised of shipbuilders, shipping companies, and people with relevant knowledge and experience, to investigate the possibility of casualty occurrence and the structural safety of large container carriers. The results…

07 Dec 2015

ClassNK Establishes Ship Data Center

Classification society ClassNK announced that it has established Ship Data Center Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan on December 7, 2015, as a wholly owned subsidiary that aims to support the utilization of data gathered from ship operations. The Data Center will be headed by ClassNK Executive Vice President Yasushi Nakamura. Thanks to rapid advances in the development of information and communication technologies, it is now possible to collect large volumes of data on a diverse range of items related to ship operations. However, the approach to data capture is still very fragmented with similar data being sent to several vendors and analysis still being carried out almost entirely on a ship-by-ship basis, according to ClassNK.

15 May 2015

Marine Design Conference Wraps Up in Tokyo

Photo: ClassNK

The 12th International Marine Design Conference (IMDC) was held in Tokyo from May 11-14, hosted by The Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers, and sponsored by The Shipbuilders' Association of Japan and ClassNK. IMDC is a global academic conference for the design of marine systems including ships. Since its inception in the U.K. in 1982, it has taken place every three years with this week’s conference marking its 12th conference. This is the second time the IMDC has been held in Japan; it took place in Kobe in 1991 for its fourth conference.

16 Mar 2015

Japan, Vietnam Maritime Security Cooperation

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan agreed to continue bilateral efforts to ensure maritime security, underlining the importance of respecting the rule of law. Kishida and Doan also discussed matters related to the South China Sea, the ministry said. The sea is the focus of lingering tensions over territorial rows between China and Southeast Asian countries, notably Vietnam and the Philippines. Kishida was quoted as saying Japan wants to increase cooperation with Vietnam over wide-ranging issues such as maritime security. Japan will help train maritime lecturers for Vietnam under an agreement signed in Hanoi between the Vietnam Maritime Administration and the Seamen’s Employment Center of Japan (SECOJ).

05 Mar 2015

BIMCO Environmental Performance Guide

BIMCO today launched a new, multi-part guidance resource to support ship owners and operators in improving their environmental performance and the efficiency of their ships. BIMCO’s Guide to Maritime Environmental & Efficiency Management, developed in partnership with maritime efficiency specialists Fathom, and supported by ClassNK, provides a resource to facilitate compliance with environmental regulations and assist owners and operators in the development of an environmental and efficiency management system. This first-of-a-kind, comprehensive resource allows ship owners and operators to develop an all-encompassing environmental and efficiency management system.

04 Feb 2015

ClassNK Approves New Corrosion Resistant Steel

ClassNK has issued approval for Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation’s newly developed corrosion resistant steel (NSGP-2) for use on the upper deck and/or inner bottom of crude oil tanker cargo oil tanks (COT). Following earlier approvals of steels for the inner bottom plating of COTs, this marks the first time that approval has been granted for corrosion resistant steels for both the top and bottom parts of the COT, providing owners and shipyards with a practical alternative to coating systems. In order to reduce COT corrosion and improve crude oil tanker safety, new amendments to the SOLAS Convention were issued in May 2010 requiring oil tankers over 5…

18 Dec 2014

K Line to Expand Use of Eco-efficiency Software

Photo: K Line

NAPA and ClassNK announced a deal with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K Line) to install an eco-efficiency and operational optimization solution, ClassNK-NAPA GREEN, on three additional vessels. The vessels will be fitted with the software in June 2015 after the ClassNK-NAPA GREEN suite of systems proved itself on a trial installation early in 2014. The self-learning component of ClassNK-NAPA GREEN, the dynamic performance model was also found to be accurate during the same trial.

18 Dec 2014

NKCS Approves FROSIO Inspector Programs

ClassNK Consulting Service Co., Ltd. has announced the agreement concerning the Certifying Body of FROSIO, as an internationally recognized coating inspector’s qualification. FROSIO is a leading certifying body qualified to grant inspector qualifications to inspect surface treatments and the coating condition of ships, offshore and onshore steel structures. The Coating Inspector’s qualification of FROSIO is internationally acclaimed and recognized by the IMO. NKCS and FROSIO have agreed on a Letter of Intent for the recognition of the FROSIO qualification so that NKCS can expand its business throughout Japan and the greater Asian region in the future. The announcement was made at a signing ceremony held in Tokyo on 15 December 2014. During the ceremony, Mr.

06 Dec 2014

ClassNK & NAPA tie-up to Improve Ship Design

ClassNK and leading global maritime software company NAPA have announced a new joint project to reduce the time and cost of designing vessels in accordance with the new IACS harmonised Common Structural Rules. The new project will enhance the data linkage between ClassNK’s PrimeShip-HULL(HCSR) design support software with NAPA’s 3D model based integrated design software NAPA Steel greatly improving the efficiency of the ship design process and reducing the cost of designing vessels in accordance with the new rules. Adopted in 2013, the IACS harmonised CSR will be applied to all tankers over 150m and all bulk carriers over 90m contracted after 1 July 2015.

10 Sep 2014

ClassNK Expands Joint Research in Europe

Marco Schneider, Project Manager, CFD, HSVA; Noboru Ueda, Chairman and President, ClassNK; Yasushi Nakamura, Executive Vice President, ClassNK; Capt. Herman Visser, Oldendorff Carriers

Classification society ClassNK announced that it will join a new European Joint R&D project to ensure bulk carrier safety. The project, called LiquefAction, aims to better understand the physical properties of cargo liquefaction in order to prevent bulk carrier casualties and is being carried out by a consortium of Europe’s top research institutions, including Germany’s Hamburgische Schiffbau-Versuchsanstalt (HSVA) and Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), as well as France’s  Ecole Central de Nantes (ECN) and the Institute of Science and Technology for Transport…

15 Jul 2014

Canada's Helm Operations Acquired by ClassNK

ClassNK has announced the acquisition of Victoria, Canada-based maritime software company Helm Operations. The deal was hailed by both parties as two world-class companies joining forces to improve safety and operational efficiency in the marine industry, while greatly enhancing the success and capabilities of both organizations. Tokyo-based ClassNK is one of the world’s largest classification societies, providing safety and certification services for more than 8,600 ships, representing about 20% of the global merchant fleet. Founded in 1999, Helm Operations has grown to become a leading provider of manning, maintenance, dispatch, and HSQE software to the workboat and offshore industries…

18 Mar 2014

ClassNK Acquires Maritime Software House NAPA

Tetsuya Kinoshita, Executive Vice President, ClassNK (Top left), Yasushi Nakamura, Representative Director, Executive Vice President, ClassNK (Bottom left) Juha Heikinheimo, President, NAPA Group (Top right) and Markku Riipinen, Chairman of the Board, Napa Ltd (Bottom right).

Classification society ClassNK agreed to acquire maritime software house NAPA in a deal that the classification society said aims to improve safety and performance for the whole maritime industry. According to ClassNK, the acquisition will enhance the success and capabilities of both organizations. For ClassNK, which has worked with NAPA for nearly 10 years, the deal is a chance to expand and improve the wide range of services it offers to shipowners and shipyards, whilst also providing NAPA with the support to accelerate expansion of existing operations and access new markets.

12 Dec 2013

Suga to Chair Tanker Forum

Hayato Suga

The Tanker Structure Cooperative Forum (TSCF) has elected Hayato Suga as its next Chairman at a recent Steering Committee Meeting. Hayato Suga is the General Manager of ClassNK’s Natural Resources and Energy Department and one of ClassNK’s foremost experts on tanker vessels. The TSCF was established in 1983 to allow members to share their collective experience in order to improve tanker structural safety. The TSCF’s membership includes representatives from major national and international oil companies, shipowners and classification societies.

10 Dec 2013

ClassNK and Rio Tinto Iron Ore Sign Collaborative Agreement

Right: Mr.Yasushi Nakamura (ClassNK), Left: Mr.Warwick Smith (Rio Tinto Iron Ore)

Classification society ClassNK and Rio Tinto Iron Ore (part of the Rio Tinto Group, one of the world’s largest metal and mining companies), announced that they have signed a collaborative agreement focused on the safe carriage of iron ore. The agreement was signed at a ceremony held after a meeting of executives from both companies at the Rio Tinto Japan office on 3 December 2013. ClassNK Executive Vice President Yasushi Nakamura and Warwick Smith, Managing Director, Sales and Marketing for Rio Tinto Iron Ore, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.