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 Issues AiP for Low-Pressure Type Coastal LCO2 Carrier
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, and Nippon Gas Line (NGL) have secured an Approval in Principle (AiP) from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for a low-pressure type liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier to serve in coastal transportation.Demand for LCO2 carriers is expected to grow in tandem with CCS (carbon dioxide capture and storage) projects involving marine transport of CO2 captured in Japan to storage sites.Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and NGL received…
AiP Granted for Low-Pressure Coastal Liquefied CO2 Carrier
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Nippon Gas Line have jointly acquired Approval in Principle (AiP) from ClassNK for a low-pressure liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier to serve in coastal transportation.Demand for LCO2 carriers is expected to grow in tandem with carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) projects involving marine transport of CO2 captured in Japan to storage sites.The concept is based on the potential transport of CO2 from small-scale CO2 capture sites mainly in Japan’s Seto…
Japanese Cargo Ship Collision: One Crew Member Feared Dead
A crew member of a Japanese cargo ship was feared dead on Sunday after he was recovered near a vessel that had capsized and sunk following a collision in domestic waters, local media reported.Japanese coast guard ships and aircraft have been searching since Friday for three missing crew members of the cargo ship after the collision with a Marshall Islands-registered tanker in the Seto Inland Sea.Public broadcaster NHK said the coast guard found the crew member in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest on Sunday morning near the sunk vessel.The Japanese coast guard was not immediately reachable by phone on Sunday.Japan's Transport Safety Board is conducting an investigation on board the chemical tanker…
Car Carrier Sinks After Collision With Tanker Off Japan; Three Missing
Japanese coast guard ships and aircraft were searching on Friday for three missing crew of a cargo ship that capsized and sank after a collision with a Marshall Islands-registered tanker in the Seto Inland Sea, authorities said.The Byakko sank at about 2:40 a.m.
MOL Orders Japan's 1st LNG-Fueled Ferries
Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and its subsidiary Ferry Sunflower Limited have unveiled plans to construct Japan’s first two LNG-fueled ferries.Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will receive the order for the newbuild ferries that are designated to serve the Japanese market.Ferry Sunflower will charter the ferries after delivery and launch them on its Osaka-Beppu route from the end of 2022 through the first half of 2023, as replacements for vessels currently in service.The ferries will be equipped with high-performance dual fuel engines and will provide passengers with comfortable accommodations and reliable schedules. What's more…
Christening Ceremony for Hankyu Ferry
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) based in Yokohama, held a christening and launch ceremony on August 2 for a ferry currently under construction for Hankyu Ferry Co., Ltd., which is based in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka. The new vessel, named "Settsu," will replace the superannuated "Yamato," one of four large ferries operated by the company. After completion of rigging work, the "Settsu" will be handed over in February 2020 to…
MOL to Build Japan's First LNG-Fueled Tugboat
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced the company's decision to build an LNG-fueled tugboat. The new tugboat, the first LNG-fueled tug in Japan, will conform to the IGF code issued in January of this year and is subject to be examined by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. MOL will own the tugboat, slated for construction at Kanagawa Dockyard. Yanmar Co will supply LNG-fueled engines. Osaka Gas will supply LNG fuel to the tugboat. Nihon Tug-Boat will operate the tugboat. The new tugboat will be deployed in Osaka Bay in April 2019. It will be equipped with high-performance dual fuel engines that allows high-speed operation and superior environmental performance…
Tenth Terex Gottwald Crane for Japan
The fleet of diesel-electric Terex Gottwald mobile harbour cranes in Japan continues to grow. In spring 2017, Terex Port Solutions (TPS) will supply a Model 2 crane to the Port of Otake in the south of the country. There, the machine in the G HMK 2204 two-rope variant ordered via Chikuho Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (CS) will handle mainly containers and general cargo. For this purpose, the new crane has a lifting capacity curve adapted to Japanese requirements with a maximum lifting capacity of 62 t, an outreach of up to 40 m and a maximum lifting speed of 85 m/min. The machine is also equipped with a second, specially developed load display in order to meet the relevant requirements for the safe load indicator in the Japanese market.
Imabari Stands Strong
During the second half of the 20th century, the Japanese ruled commercial shipbuilding. Today, numerous competitive forces in the Far East, led by South Korea and China, have continued to throw massive resources into building and maintaining modern shipbuilding dominance, so much so that it may seem as though the days of Japanese shipbuilding have passed for good. “Any single shipbuilder in Japan cannot fulfill a large-scale order, for example, for 10 ships,” an industry official told the Japan Times last September. Imabari Shipbuilding disagrees.
MMA Students to Attend Symposium
Two students from Maine Maritime Academy’s Corning School of Ocean Studies will travel to Japan this spring to take part in a conference on the ocean environment. Heather Blankenstein, a junior from Merrimack, N.H., and Robert Watts, a junior from Boothbay Harbor, Maine, will represent MMA at the April 5-30 International Marine Environment Symposium in Kobe, Japan. They will attend lectures, participate in discussion groups, and engage in field study aboard the training ship Fukae Maru, which operates in the Seto Inland Sea. Blankenstein and Watts were selected by Prof. Barry Kilch and other members of the Maine Maritime Academy’s ocean studies department. Alternates are Renee Dunton, a senior from Hampden, Maine; and Carl Rhodes, a junior from Bayfield, Colo.
