University Of Tokyo News

With the current international efforts to contain the spread of COVID19, travel restrictions are in place globally. However, ASA has determined that it is not an obstacle to have Yuichi Sonoda picked up his role as ASA newly appointed Sec-Gen with effect from May 1, 2020. This is a role he is thoroughly familiar with. As he had served as ASA Sec-Gen during the period between 2010 to 2014, he was instrumental in numerous initiatives and conferences.Involving in the work of ASA since its inception in 1992, (known then as Asian Shipowners’ Forum : ASF) Yuchi Sonoda had been tirelessly supporting and promoting ASA's vision and missions. In 1996, he was appointed as the Secretary of Shipping Economics Review Committee (SERC), one of the five Standing Committees of ASF.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Tohoku Electric Power have announced that they intend to move ahead with a joint study to install the Wind Challenger telescopic hard sail system on a coal carrier.MOL said that the two companies have been studying the feasibility of using the Wind Challenger on ships carrying coal to Tohoku Electric’s thermal power plants and it was recently confirmed that a Wind Challenger-equipped vessel would be 'acceptable' in the port facilities serving the plants.Wind Challenger is a telescoping hard sail to convert wind energy to propulsive force, studied in “Wind Challenger Project”, which MOL take part as a leading member.The Wind Challenger Project started in 2009 with the “Wind Challenger Plan”…

Japan’s shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Oshima Shipbuilding have jointly obtained Approval in Principle (AIP) from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai  (ClassNK) for the design of a hard sail system.The system converts wind energy to propulsive force with telescopic hard sail, and is a fundamental technology of the "Wind Challenger Project"  that MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding are spearheading.Along with other participating organizations, MOL and Oshima Shipbuilding have played a central role in research and development on the Wind Challenger Project, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by using wind energy.Obtaining the AIP marks…

NYK has agreed to sponsor Team KUROSHIO,* a finalist in the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE competition, by providing the transportation for the team’s unmanned robots, which are being used in this international competition to quickly and accurately map the ocean floor. Team KUROSHIO has participated in this competition over the past three years, and after passing through the technical documentation stage and an actual ocean test in Round 1, the team has advanced to Round 2, the final round, to be held in October 2018. The research team is the only Japanese representative remaining in the competition, and during the final round will be asked to map at least 250 square kilometers of ocean floor in 24 hours at ocean depths up to 4,000 meters. The results will be announced in December 2018.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced the completion of this year's Project Based Learning (PBL) program at the University of Tokyo Graduate Program for Mechanical Systems Innovation (GMSI), Research and Education Consortium for Innovation of Advanced Integrated Science (CIAiS) and Global Leader Program for Social Design and Management (GSDM). "PBL" is a program implemented by University of Tokyo Graduate School, aimed at developing personnel who have the ability to work in a broader spectrum and apply one's skills to a multidisciplinary setting while maintaining a high level of expertise. MOL, as the project manager, provided the theme "application of bio fuels for diesel engines on ocean shipping vessels…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced the completion, on Friday, February 10, of this year’s Project Based Learning (“PBL”) program at the University of Tokyo Graduate Program for Mechanical Systems Innovation (GMSI), Research and Education Consortium for Innovation of Advanced Integrated Science (CIAiS) and Global Leader Program for Social Design and Management (GSDM). “PBL”is a program implemented by University of Tokyo Graduate School, aimed at developing personnel who have the ability to work in a broader spectrum and apply one’s skills to a multidisciplinary setting while maintaining a high level of expertise. MOL, as the project manager…

ClassNK, Japan’s an  international certification and classification society, will host a round table discussion about floating wind technologies on the sidelines of Wind Energy Hamburg (WEH) on September 26. “ClassNK is one of the leading classification societies, boasting over a century of technical experience in the maritime sector,” says Hirofumi Takano, Director of Innovation Division at ClassNK. An exciting panel of leaders from this growing global market segment — including University of Tokyo Prof.

The International Windship Association (IWSA) will host its annual Wind Propulsion Innovation Forum at SMM2016 in Hamburg, including an extensive agenda with expert speakers and panelists that aim to provoke discussion and debate about wind propulsion as key to the future of sustainable shipping. The IWSA Innovation Forum spans all four days of the conference, September 6-9. A broad spectrum of wind propulsion technology providers and ship development projects will be showcasing the latest developments in Rotor technology, Suction Wing, Dynarig and various Hard Sail technologies.

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.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. today announced that it has started demonstration tests of a new windshield for containerships, which has the potential to reduce wind resistance, save fuel, and reduce CO2 emissions. MOL jointly developed the device with MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd. Ouchi Ocean Consultant, Inc., Akishima Laboratory Inc., and the University of Tokyo. The project was backed by the “Joint R&D for Industry Program”, in which Nippon Kaiji Kyokai promotes wide-ranging R&D activities in cooperation with industry, government and academia. The new windshield was installed on the bow of the MOL-operated containership MOL MARVEL, and a demonstration test of its effectiveness in reducing CO2 emissions is under With today’s larger containerships…

An experimental offshore floating wind farm project sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has been underway since March 2012. Participating in the project is a consortium comprised of Marubeni (project integrator), the University of Tokyo (technical advisor), Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan Marine United, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, Hitachi, Furukawa Electric, Shimizu, and Mizuho Information & Research.

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.

Launched in March 2012, the Fukushima experimental offshore floating wind farm project sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is nearing the installation phase as preparatory works for the installation of the 7MW oil pressure drive-type wind turbine on the three-column semi-sub floater at Onahama port, Fukushima, are almost completed and delivery from Nagasaki to Onahama has started today. Participating in the experiment is a consortium comprised of Marubeni (project integrator)…

A consortium made up of Marubeni (project integrator), the University of Tokyo (technical advisor), Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan Marine United, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, Hitachi, Furukawa Electric, Shimizu, and Mizuho Information & Research has been participating in an experimental offshore floating wind farm project sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry since March 2012. At present, the construction of the three-column semi-sub as part of the second phase has been successfully completed.

A consortium comprising of Marubeni (project integrator), the University of Tokyo (technical advisor), Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan Marine United, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, Hitachi, Furukawa Electric, Shimizu and Mizuho Information & Research have been participating in an experimental offshore floating wind farm project sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry since March 2012. At present, the installation work of 2MW downwind-type floating wind turbine…

MOL has announced the following organizational changes which will take effect in August 2013. These changes will further build the MOL organization as one that customers and employees can continue to count on. Calvin Duffaut, assistant vice president, yield management and corporate communications for MOL (America) Inc. has been promoted to vice president, yield management of MOL Liner and will relocate to Hong Kong. Duffaut joined MOL in 2007 after many years of management experience in trade management, pricing and logistics with Pacer Stacktrain Ltd., American President Lines, and Lykes Bros. Steamship Inc. Duffaut holds an undergraduate degree from Yale University. He will report to Jotaro Tamura, senior vice president, liner yield management, equipment management and network operation.

HRH The Duke of Rothesay addressed global fisheries leaders on sustainability. The world’s fisheries community gathered in Edinburgh today (Tuesday, 8 May) to discuss the future of sustainable fishing at the 6th World Fisheries Congress. Organised by The World Council of Fisheries Societies, the congress is being held at Edinburgh International Conference Centre and will address “Sustainable Fisheries in a Changing World”. The event draws leading international figures influential in driving debate and shaping global policy on fishing.

The sails will be made from 5 sheets of aluminium and fibre reinforced plastic, and will each stand 164 feet tall and 65 feet wide. The 5 sheets which make up each sail will be individually controlled by motors to be raised or lowered depending on the strength of the wind, or turned on an angle in order to catch the most wind. Kiyoshi Uzawa, the professor in charge of the team, said that they predict their sails will cut fuel consumption by about 30 percent. They have already performed several simulations for common routes, such as Yokohama to Seattle and found that the ships only used about two thirds of the normal fuel consumption.

Japan is preparing to bolt turbines onto barges and build the world’s largest commercial power plant using floating windmills, tackling the engineering challenges of an unproven technology to cut its reliance on atomic energy. Marubeni Corp., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp. are among developers erecting a 16-megawatt pilot plant off the coast of Fukushima, site of the nuclear accident which pushed the government to pursue cleaner energy. The project may be expanded to 1,000 megawatts, the trade ministry said, larger than any wind farm fixed to the seabed or on land. “Japan is surrounded by deep oceans, and this poses challenges to offshore wind turbines attached to the bottom of the sea…

A consortium made up of Marubeni (project integrator), the University of Tokyo, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, IHI Marine United, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, Nippon Steel, Hitachi, Furukawa Electric, Shimizu and Mizuho Information & Research are participating in an experimental offshore floating wind farm project sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. This experimental project consists of three floating wind turbines and one floating power sub-station off the coast of Fukushima. The first stage of this experimental project will begin in 2012 and consists of one 2MW floating wind turbine, the world's first 66kV floating power sub-station and undersea cable.

Few would argue with the notion that a healthy commercial marine industry needs new naval architects entering the business of designing and engineering ships and offshore structures. New naval architects bring new technology and a fresh way of looking at old problems. The University of New Orleans School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) produces a dozen or so people per year who have mastered this very difficult subject. At any given time UNO has about 145 people enrolled in the NAME program leading to a Bachelor's degree, the most students in any program of its kind. The school also offers Master's and Doctorate degrees in the field. There are currently 18 students in the MS program and three in the aspiring Ph.D candidates. The first Ph.D was graduated in May 2003.