NYK Cruises informed that the cruise ship Asuka II, the largest cruise vessel carrying the Japanese flag, will undergo works at the Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard in Singapore from the middle of January 2020, during which it will be retrofitted with a scrubber. Earlier during 2018, NYK Line had announced that it has secured a USD 80.65 million syndicated loan agreement with MUFG Bank Ltd., with the aim to install scrubbers.
Japan Transport Safety Board informed that it launched 922 investigations in 2017. The majority of these cases included collisions, while 1,199 vessels were involved in the accidents, most of which were fishing vessels and pleasure boats. Of the 922 investigations launched in 2017, 216 were cases of collision, 182 cases of grounding; 138 cases of fatality/injury; and 104 cases of contact.
Class NK accredited in late March a training program for seafarers responsible for LNG and other low-flashpoint fuels on board NYK Group-operated ships, making the NYK the first Japanese shipping company to obtain an international institution’s certification in the field of IGF Code training.
Japanese MOL and Reliance Ethane Holding agreed to co-owning of Six Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs) which are currently fully-owned by REHPL. The six VLECs were delivered in 2016-2017 and have been engaged for transportation of Liquefied Ethane from Houston in India.
The Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya informed on April 23 that a US-chartered ship will join this month a deep-sea search for an F-35A fighter jet that recently crashed in the Pacific. The ‘Van Gogh’ will take part in the search effort by the Maritime Self-Defense Force and US forces off Aomori Prefecture. he jet crashed on April 9 during an Air Self-Defense Force night exercise after having taken off from Misawa Air Base in Aomori.
The world trading system should be continuously re-examined with regard to reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the governance of data flows, given the escalation of trade restrictive measures and the impact on businesses, said Mr Akahoshi, President of JETRO.
Two new cruise piers are expected to open in Japan’s second largest city, Yokohama, in April and November 2019, in line with an overall trend that wants it to be the most frequently visited Japanese port for English-speaking passengers.
The Japanese fleet that fishes whales returned after killing 333 minke whales in the Southern Ocean. According to the Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research from the 333 killed whales, 186 were male and 181 female. Over 50% of the females were adult and preliminary analysis, such as pregnancy rates, suggest healthy fertility of the species.
JTSB issued an investigation report on a crew member fatal fall onboard the cargo ship ‘Erik’, in September 2018. The investigation stressed that the crew was working in unstable posture on the ladder and that the company was insufficient in monitoring that crew members clearly understood Ladder guidelines.
IMO’s treaty on ship recycling has another push, as Japan is the 10th country to become a Party to the Hong Kong Convention. H.E. Mr. Koji Tsuruoka, Ambassador of Japan to the United Kingdom and Permanent Representative of Japan to IMO, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters, London on March 27, to deposit the instrument of accession.
