Yasuo Tanaka News

Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) Group is not only one of the world’s largest ship owners with a diverse fleet of more than 800 ships, it is a growing global maritime logistics powerhouse. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News visited with Yasuo Tanaka, Senior Managing Corporate Officer, Naval Architect, in Tokyo for his insights on the company’s continued efforts to invest in operational efficiency. The story of NYK cannot start without a look at the numbers, because the numbers tell the story in a most impressive fashion.

NYK’s Ship Information Management System (SIMS), jointly developed by NYK and the Monohakobi Technology Institute (MTI; head office: Tokyo; president: Makoto Igarashi), has been recognized with Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award at the 2015 Eco-Products Awards.* An awards ceremony was held on December 10, 2015, and attended by Yasuo Tanaka, NYK senior managing corporate officer, and Makoto Igarashi, president of MTI. By employing SIMS on vessels, detailed data can be timely shared between onboard crew and land-based operation staff. Such data includes precise hourly updates on conditions of operation and fuel consumption. The NYK Group currently installs SIMS on vessels of various types, and it has become a key system utilizing big data.

The Japanese Government's 'Minister's Award' has been presented jointly to NYK and the  Oshima Shipbuilding Co. in recognition of the NYK Group’s use of the energy-saving air-lubrication system on its vessels. The awards ceremony was held in Tokyo at Eco-Products 2013, the largest environmental exhibition in Japan, and attended by NYK managing corporate officer Yasuo Tanaka; Iwashita Tatsurou, director and general manager of the Design Dept. at Oshima Shipbuilding; and Makoto Igarashi, president of MTI.