Naikai on track

The two-yard, three-slipway system of Naikai Zosen Corp. in Japan has started to get on track. In 2008, Naikai resumed operations at No.2 slipway of its Innoshima shipyard positioned at its main factory.

The first ship at the resumed slipway, a 2,500-TEU containership, is to be launched in October 2009 and completed in 2010. Michihiro Kawaji, executive officer of Naikai and plant manager of Innoshima Shipyard, said that, “In terms of capacity, No.2 slipway can build up to four ships annually, but we will construct two vessels for the time being.”

With this, Naikai has established a system to construct 10-11 ships annually via two yards. Through the equipment investments over the recent years, Naikai successfully boosted its in-house block production ratio to 90% of the total volume used. “We are done with equipment reinforcement. In the future, we will exert effort toward the human resources side,” said Kawaji, indicating that Naikai will establish a new personnel fostering system beginning fiscal 2009.

Innoshima Shipyard now has a two-berth system. In February 2008, it resumed operations at its No.2 slipway (241m long x 45m wide), which had been used as block storage space up to then. Launching facilities and power-related equipment were introduced for the slipway to resume operation. Since the Innoshima Shipyard as a whole resumed its newbuilding construction business in 2005, it had been engaged mainly in constructing 2,500-TEU containerships with one berth, the No.1 slipway (257 x 59m). With No.2 slipway going into operation, Innoshima is now capable of building six vessels annually, four units at No.1 slipway and two at No.2 slipway.

According to Kawaji, the Innoshima yard has now boosted its productivity by 20%.

Meanwhile, Naikai’s Setoda Works builds 5-6 newbuildings per annum at its No.1 slipway (192 x 50m). In recent years, internal fabrication/assembly capacities have been expanded at Setoda as well.