K Line, Japan’s shipping major, has jointly agreed with Hiroshima University, the National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology and Marubeni Corporation to work on the research and analysis of maritime logistics and shipping market conditions using artificial intelligence (AI).
Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) announced a cooperation with Japan’s National Maritime Research Institute to start the research and development in the field of combustion of carbon-free fuel, as one of solutions for decarbonization.
Japanese firms Osaka Gas and Daihatsu Diesel received an Approval in Principle from ClassNK for their joint project on an LPG Reformer for marine engines. This was the first AIP granted in Japan for such equipment. The LPG Reformer is designed to convert LPG into synthetic methane gas equivalent to the kind found in LNG.
South Korea officially excluded Japan from its list of trade partners affecting the latter’s fast-track approvals in trade, meaning that South Korean companies will now have to submit five documents to win individual approval, which is more than the previous three, Yonhap news agency reports.
Reuters reports that Japanese third-largest refiner, Cosmo Oil, is building stocks of very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) that can be supplied to domestic marine fuel markets from October ahead of IMO 2020 sulphur cap. Cosmo Oil produces VLSFO at its residue desulfurizer (RDS) unit at its Chiba refinery near Tokyo to build stocks.
During its meeting in Portland, Oregon, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Northern Committee discussed two proposals to increase catch limits on Pacific bluefin. The Committee focused on changes to the Pacific bluefin management measure that will lead to an increase in catch for 2020.
Russian natural gas producer Novatek announced the signing of an agreement with Japanese Saibu Gas Co., Ltd. aiming to establish a joint venture focused on marketing LNG and natural gas, as well as the construction of a new LNG storage tank at the Hibiki LNG terminal.
Japan recently announced that it will not follow US’s coalition into sending security vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, amid the tensions in the area. Yet, Yomiuri Shimbun, Japanese newspaper, reported that Japan is thinking of sending a destroyer to operate in nearby areas.
Japan imported its first LNG cargo from China during July, due to the fact that utilities from the world’s biggest buyer of the fuel search for new suppliers, while also trying to reduce costs amid tough competition. This is considered Japan’s first LNG cargo from China since 1988, when the Japanese government started publishing import and export figures.
In response to reports of high population levels of Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) in some countries regulated for AGM, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Canadian food Inspection Agency (CFIA) jointly remind ship operators of requirements for entering US and Canada safely.
