日本5家企业合作欲重振造船业

Core Viewpoint - The collaboration between Japan's three major shipping companies and shipbuilding firms aims to revitalize the Japanese shipbuilding industry by creating a unified development system for next-generation vessels, particularly focusing on liquefied carbon dioxide transport ships and alternative fuel vessels [2][10]. Group 1: Collaboration and Investment - Japan's three major shipping companies, Nippon Yusen, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, will invest in the ship design company MILES, which is jointly funded by Imabari Shipbuilding and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries [2][4]. - This marks the first time that shipping companies and shipbuilders in Japan have collaborated at the capital level to establish a ship development system [4]. - The investment aims to develop MILES into a common platform for ship design, integrating the needs of the three shipping companies and expanding the framework for joint development to a wider range of vessel types [6][10]. Group 2: Market Context and Strategic Goals - The Japanese shipbuilding industry has been at a disadvantage due to the rise of shipbuilding industries in China and South Korea, leading to a significant decline in market share from about 50% in the 1970s and 1980s to approximately 10% by 2024 [10]. - The Japanese shipping companies plan to prioritize orders from Japanese shipyards, including the potential procurement of liquefied carbon dioxide transport ships domestically [8][9]. - The Japanese government has designated shipbuilding as a critical area under the Economic Security Promotion Law, aiming to double the construction volume by 2035 compared to 2024, with a planned investment of 1 trillion yen in a 10-year fund for the shipbuilding sector [9][10]. Group 3: Future Developments - Nippon Yusen plans to increase its fleet of LNG carriers by nearly 40% by the fiscal year 2028, reaching a total of 130 vessels, with most orders currently going to Chinese and South Korean shipyards [9]. - The collaboration is expected to enhance production efficiency through the standardization of ship designs, which has been a challenge for Japanese shipbuilders due to the custom nature of vessel orders [8][10].