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Monday, June 1, 2026

Nyk Group News

19 May 2026

Four NYK Group Managed Vessels Receive Japanese Pilots' Best Quality Ship 2025 Award

Pirika Moshiri Maru (Photo provided by Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.)

Type of ship: Coal carrier
Length overall: 234.99 m
Breadth: 43.00 m
Gross tonnage: 52,158 tons
Ship management: NYK Bulkship Partners Co., Ltd. (Formerly Hachiuma Steamship Co., Ltd.)
Operation management: NYK

Four vessels managed and operated by the NYK Group, the coal carrier Pirika Moshiri Maru, the very large crude oil carrier Takaoka, the bulk carrier Global Coral, and the passenger ship Asuka Ⅲ, have been honored with the “Best Quality Ship 2025” award sponsored by the Japan Federation of Pilots’ Associations. This is the largest number of NYK Group–related vessels ever selected simultaneously for this award.The award was established in 2003 to promote awareness of safe vessel operation and the protection of ports and the marine environment.

14 May 2026

NYK Test Aims to Tame 'Methane Slip'

LNG bunkering vessel KEYS Azalea.
Image courtesy NYK

NYK has conducted its first onboard measurement in a demonstration test of a methane oxidation catalyst system for marine engines fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG).This demonstration test is being carried out in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery & Equipment Co., Ltd. (MHI-MME), Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (MHIMSB), and DAIHATSU INFINEARTH MFG.CO.,LTD. (IE).The catalyst system has been installed on the LNG bunkering vessel KEYS Azalea, which supplies LNG fuel to LNG-fueled ships. The vessel is owned by KEYS Bunkering West Japan Co., Ltd.

12 May 2026

Car Carrier Elder Leader Trials Autonomous Nav System

Image courtesy NYK

NYK-operated car carrier Elder Leader, which is equipped with an autonomous navigation system, made its first call at the port of Singapore on April 29, 2026. On this occasion, NYK, together with the NYK Group company MTI Co., Ltd. and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), conducted a demonstration trial to verify the interoperability between the vessel’s autonomous navigation system and the port systems.The vessel is a next-generation car carrier equipped with marine DX technologies…

22 Apr 2026

NYK Group Welcomes Its First Female LNG Carrier Captain

Captain Louise Lin (Lin Yi-chun). © NiMiC Ship Management Co

A Taiwan-based NYK Group ship-management company, NiMiC Ship Management Co., Ltd. (NiMiC), has appointed Louise Lin (Lin Yi-chun) as captain of Taitar No. 4., a NiMiC-managed liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier and she assumed her duties. This milestone marks the first time a woman has been named captain of an LNG carrier within the NYK Group.Lin began her maritime career at NiMiC as a deck cadet in 2011 and advanced to full-time service as a third officer on an LNG carrier managed by NiMiC in 2015.

22 Apr 2026

NYK Launches Oil Analysis Service for Ammonia-Fueled Engines

Illustration (Credit: NYK Group)

Japan’s NYK Group has launched a lubricating oil analysis service to monitor the condition of ammonia-fueled engines, as it seeks to support the adoption of alternative fuels in shipping.The service, developed by group company Nippon Yuka Kogyo, is designed to detect early signs of abnormalities in engines using ammonia as fuel.Ammonia is seen as a next-generation maritime fuel due to its low greenhouse gas emissions during combustion, though it requires new approaches to monitoring engine performance.The service uses lubricating oil analysis to assess internal engine conditions…

20 Apr 2026

Ammonia Fuel Sales Plan Advances in Singapore

Source: Yara

NYK Bulkship (Asia), Golden Island and Yara Clean Ammonia Norge have concluded a non-binding Term Sheet that paves the way towards a partnership to supply low-carbon ammonia as a marine fuel in Singapore.The companies began discussions in the beginning of 2024 to explore the launch of the business, aiming to commence operations within this decade.NYK group operates a fleet of more than 900 vessels. “With its potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia is expected to play an important role in the future marine fuel mix.

01 Apr 2026

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.

31 Mar 2026

INTERCARGO Convenes Industry Leaders to Tackle Approach to Dry Bulk STS Transfers

INTERCARGO Ship to Ship Transfer Guidelines for Bulk Carriers Event in Athens. © INTERCARGO

INTERCARGO brought shipowners, charterers, insurers and service providers together in Athens on March 31 to tackle a growing issue in dry bulk shipping: how ship-to-ship (STS) transfers are actually carried out.STS in dry bulk is no longer occasional. It is becoming part of day-to-day operations as larger vessels and limited port infrastructure force cargo to be moved offshore. However, the sector has reached this point without a clear, shared way of performing STS safely and efficiently.In tanker shipping, STS follows established practices for over twenty years.

12 Mar 2026

NYK Group Acquires Saga Welco

© piter2121 / Adobe Stock

NYK Group has reached an agreement with the Norwegian shipping company Westfal- Larsen Group to fully acquire Saga Welco.Saga Welco, a Norwegian shipping operator specializing in transporting cargo via open-hatch vessels, is currently jointly owned by NHE and the Westfal-Larsen Group, with each party holding a 50% stake. The transaction is expected to be finalized within 2026, subject to regulatory approvals in various jurisdictions.Saga Welco operates a fleet of 48 open-hatch vessels and offers worldwide semi-liner services originating principally from the east coast of South America.

26 Feb 2026

IMO Secretary-General Visits NYK Training Center

Source: NYK

On February 18, as part of the official engagements with maritime stakeholders in the Philippines, Arsenio Antonio Domínguez Velasco, secretary-general of the IMO, visited NYK-Fil Maritime E-Training Inc. (NETI) and NYK-TDG Maritime Academy (NTMA), the NYK Group’s training center and maritime academy in the Philippines.The visit included a tour of NETI’s advanced simulator facilities, showcasing cutting-edge maritime education and training technologies that support global shipping operations.

13 Feb 2026

"Green" Vessel Investments Continue Despite Delays

Copyright Nigel Harris/AdobeStock

The shipping industry's biggest players are shrugging off Trump administration opposition to a global carbon price and are forging ahead with billions of dollars in emissions-reducing investments, according to company officials and a Reuters analysis of data.Europe, Brazil and a host of other nations are pushing the sector, which is responsible for nearly 3% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, to go green. But, in October, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, the world's two largest oil producers…

12 Feb 2026

Global Shipping Industry Sticks with Green Investments

© mark_gusev / Adobe Stock

The shipping industry's biggest players are shrugging off Trump administration opposition to a global carbon price and are forging ahead with billions of dollars in emissions-reducing investments, according to company officials and a Reuters analysis of data.Europe, Brazil and a host of other nations are pushing the sector, which is responsible for nearly 3% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, to go green. But, in October, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, the world's two largest oil producers…

12 Feb 2026

NYK Achieves 65% Emissions Cut with Methanol-Fueled Bulk Carrier

Green Future berthing in Chile for loading of copper concentrates (Credit: Inchcape Shipping Services)

NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers (NBP), a member of the NYK Group, has operated a methanol dual-fuel bulk carrier using low-carbon methanol fuel for the transportation of copper concentrate for BHP Group, achieving an approximately 65% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on a well-to-wake basis compared to conventional fuel.The initiative marks what the NYK Group said is the world’s first use of low-carbon methanol fuel on an oceangoing bulk carrier, based on its research.The vessel, Green Future, was delivered in May 2025 as the NYK Group’s first methanol dual-fuel bulk carrier.

10 Feb 2026

NYK Invests in USV Startup Oceanic Constellations

USV at sea.
Image courtesy OC

NYK recently made an equity investment in Oceanic Constellations Inc. (OC) through a third-party allotment of new shares, funding expected to support OC’s efforts to establish a mass-production framework for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), among other initiatives.OC, an ocean-tech startup, aims to establish a mass-production framework for USVs within the next few years. The large-scale production and social implementation of USVs will enable the creation of new marine infrastructure that contributes to addressing societal challenges such as ocean surveillance…

06 Feb 2026

NYK Invests in Oceanic Constellations Tech Startup

USV being assembled at Keihin Dock Co., Ltd. © NYK Line

On February 5, NYK made an equity investment in Oceanic Constellations Inc. (OC) through a third-party allotment of new shares. The funds from this investment are expected to support OC’s efforts to establish a mass-production framework for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), among other initiatives.OC, an ocean-tech startup, aims to establish a mass-production framework for USVs within the next few years. The large-scale production and social implementation of USVs will enable…

22 Dec 2025

MOL, NYK Agree Ammonia Carrier Charters with JERA

Illustration (Credit: MOL)

Japanese power generator JERA has signed separate heads of agreements with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and NYK Group for the charter of ammonia carriers, as it moves toward establishing Japan’s first large-scale low-carbon ammonia transport chain.Under the agreements, MOL and NYK affiliates will charter vessels designed to transport low-carbon ammonia produced at JERA’s Blue Point Complex in Louisiana to JERA’s Hekinan Thermal Power Station in central Japan. The arrangements are…

04 Dec 2025

Two New LNG Carriers Delivered to QatarEnergy

Source: NYK

On December 3, a joint venture company comprising NYK, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, MISC, and China LNG Shipping (Holdings) Limited held a naming ceremony for two new 174,000cbm LNG carriers for QatarEnergy.The ceremony was held at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. One vessel was named “Sharq” after an area east of Doha, Qatar’s capital, while the other was dubbed “Shra’ouh” after a Qatari island.The two vessels will be the seventh and eighth of 12 new LNG carriers ordered by the joint venture company for QatarEnergy, the world’s largest LNG providers.

05 Nov 2025

Japanese Partners Launch Digital Shipbuilding Project

Source: Tsuneshi Shipbuilding

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…

02 Oct 2025

NYK, Stolt JV Orders Two Chemical Tankers from Chinese Shipyard

(Credit: Stolt Tankers)

NYK Stolt Tankers, a joint venture between NYK and Stolt Tankers, has signed a contract with Nantong Xiangyu Shipyard in China to build two parcel chemical tankers.Scheduled for delivery in 2028 and 2029, the vessels will join the chemical tanker pool operated by Stolt Tankers.This order brings the total number of chemical tankers under construction to eight, including the six vessels ordered from the same shipyard in 2024.Parcel tankers are multi-purpose chemical tankers that can carry various cargo…

18 Aug 2025

LNG Carrier Al Zuwair Delivered to QatarEnergy

Source: NYK

The 174,000 cubic meter capacity LNG carrier Al Zuwair has been delivered from the HHI Ulsan Shipyard of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and will be deployed under a time-charter contract with QatarEnergy. The vessel will be managed by the NYK Group.Al Zuwair is the third of 12 new LNG carriers being built for QatarEnergy by a joint venture comprising NYK, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, MISC Berhad, and China LNG Shipping (Holdings) Limited.This delivery marks the first of these vessels built at HHI.

29 Sep 2025

Ulsan Port Completes Its First Green Methanol STS Bunkering for Bulk Carrier

(Credit: Ulsan Port Authority)

Ulsan Port Authority (UPA) has completed Korea’s first methanol bunkering for a dual-fuel bulk carrier at Ulsan Port.The STS for a bulk carrier, conducted on September 28, 2025, follows Ulsan Port’s world-first successful methanol bunkering demonstrations for container ships (PTS/STS) in 2023-2024.With the latest achievement, Ulsan Port has expanded its bunkering track record from container ships to bulk carriers.The operation was conducted for Green Future, a methanol dual-fuel bulk carrier chartered by NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers…

24 Oct 2025

Japanese Firms Join Forces to Mass-Produce Smalls USVs for Maritime Ops

USV at Sea (Credit: OC)

NYK’s Group company Keihin Dock has signed a joint demonstration agreement with Oceanic Constellations (OC), an ocean-tech startup, seeks to establish a mass-production system for small unmanned surface vehicles (USVs).The move aims to accelerate the development of innovative solutions to tackle industry-wide marine challenges in Japan.OC plans to implement a world-first approach to consistent ocean monitoring by deploying multiple USVs equipped with sensors and communication…

31 Oct 2025

Company Consolidation Forms NYK Bulkship Partners

(Credit: NYK Group)

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…