Business trend:
The Japanese government decided to
subsidize domestic shipping and shipbuilding companies and carry out the plan
to build ocean liners powered by natural gas in 2015. A natural gas-powered
ship emits 25% less carbon dioxide and 40% less nitrogen oxide than a heavy
oil-powered ship, and it does not emit any sulfur oxide at all. Although Norway
uses small coasting liner powered by natural gas, Japan will supposedly be the
first country that introduces natural gas-powered ocean liners like oil tankers
for the first time in the world. The Japanese government wishes to increase the
competitive edge of the Japanese shipbuilding industry in the world market.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,Transport and Tourism will recruit participating companies toward this summer
to start the research on necessary technological development. The research team
will study necessary technology for fuel tank and gas supply equipment and
conduct simulation on steering. Beginning in 2013, it will subsidize part of the
shipbuilding cost. A natural gas-powered ship costs 20% more than a heavy
oil-powered ship, and it is supposed to cost more than 10 billion yen to build an
ocean liner with a load capacity of more than 200,000 tons. The Japanese
government will issue a draft report on safety criteria using the technological
research results and submit it to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
with a view to effecting the amendments of the relevant treaties by 2016. IMO
wishes to reduce emissions from newly built ships by 30% by 2025.
An ocean liner owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
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