South Korean shipbuilders ranked second globally in total new orders for January, surpassed by China. According to the Clarkson Research Institute, South Korean shipyards were awarded new orders with an overall worth of 580,000 compensated gross tons, in order to build 12 ships. Japan came third with 13.69 million CGTs.
Researchers from the organization started by philanthropist Paul Allen found the wreck of the first Japanese battleship sunk by the U.S. Navy during World War II. The 1914-built Hiei was a Japanese battlecruiser, one of the most heavily-armed vessels of its era, having eight 14-inch guns and armour up to nine inches thick. The vessel was crippled by a shell from the USS San Francisco on the 13th which disabled the steering gear.
Japanese engineering company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) announced the appointment of Seiji Izumisawa as new President and CEO, effective from 1st April 2019, and as a Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), a role he holds currently.
As of 1 February, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and Japan has entered into force, marking the largest open trade zone in the world. The EPA removes the vast majority of the €1 billion of duties paid annually by EU companies exporting to Japan.
K Line’s large gas carrier ‘Grace River’ has carried and discharged Ichthys LNG Project’s first LPG cargo carried to Japan, according to the company’s statement. The cargo was imported by Astomos Energy Corporation at Kyushu L.P.G. Fukushima Terminal, on January 23.
The January to November crude steel production statistics released by the World Steel Association indicate India as the second largest steel producer in the world, overtaking Japan for the second month in a row, with a growth rate of 4.9%.
According to local media, in the climate of Brexit discussions that debated between MPs, the Secretary of State for International Trade, Dr Liam Fox, is of the opinion that the port of Southampton could gain many advantages from new trade agreements. According to Dr Fox, after the Brexit, on the 29th of March, UK will immediately begin negotiations with the US, New Zealand, Australia and discussions with countries in the Pacific Rim.
Trading company Toyota Tsusho and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation are joining forces on a port project in Angola that will be the largest of its kind for Japanese businesses, according to Nikkei Asian Review. Both companies aim to raising 70 billion yen ($643 million) from public and private lenders in Japan. Their goal is to help the African fund the effort.
Mitsui O.S.K. Passenger Line, a part of Japan’s shipping major MOL, suspended the Master of the cruise ship Nippon Maru, after the vessel allided into a U.S. Navy fuel pier in Apra Harbor in the Port of Guam on December 30, 2018. Neither passengers, nor crewmembers were injured and there was no fuel spill from the collision.
The Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency will collaborate with Toyota Motor Corp. to build a fishing boat fueled by hydrogen fuel cells, that are able to emit zero CO2. FRA will start designing the body of the ship in 2019 and will perform ocean testing in 2022.
