Japan Revives Shipbuilding with New LNG Dock

Japan has embarked on a full-scale revival of its shipbuilding industry. To resume the construction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, the country is establishing a new large-scale dock for the first time in 18 years, and it is reactivating halted shipbuilding lines in response to defense budget increases and naval vessel export expansion. This represents a movement to rebuild everything from production facilities to technical manpower and equipment supply chains, driven by energy security and defense capability enhancements. The prospect is that cooperation and competition between the shipbuilding industries of South Korea and Japan will intertwine, as Japan seeks technological cooperation with South Korean shipbuilders on LNG carriers while simultaneously emerging as a competitor in naval vessel exports.

According to Japanese media such as the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and the Asahi Shimbun, Namura Shipbuilding will construct a new large-scale dock capable of building LNG carriers and other vessels in Imari Bay, Saga Prefecture by 2035. This marks the first time a new dock for large vessels has been built in Japan since Imabari Shipbuilding’s Marugame Headquarters in 2017.

This story was originally published by Hellenic Shipping News. Read the full story at Hellenic Shipping News →