Author Topic: New trip to Japan  (Read 18101 times)

Offline lappino

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New trip to Japan
« on: March 05, 2019, 05:58:34 AM »
Last Friday was holiday here in Korea, so I thought about dropping by some Japanese yards to se whatever was going on there...

I started from Sasebo, to see the shipyards in Sasebo and on the nearby island of Oshima, proceeding to Nagasaki and its two Mitsubishi yards, followed by Ariake shipyard near Kumamoto. This was day one.

Day two started with the already well rehearsed ferry trip from Onomichi to Tsuneishi, then to Aki-Saizaki near Mihara, and then Kure with its JMU shipyard and those pink/magenta container babies.

Day three took me to Imabari, Marugame, Sakaide and Takamatsu, followed by a ferry ride to Kobe and a quick Shinkansen dash back to Kokura.

Day four was Kanmon Strait in the morning, and then a train trip to see a small yard near Oita.

Some of the photos I took are alreary uploaded here, but I will continue with a more detailed description. By the time I finish, I should be past my 5000th photo here on this site.

So, to be continued...

Offline pieter melissen

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2019, 06:39:11 AM »
Keep them coming, and don't forget the obscure ones, of which we hardly see any quality pictures anywhere and which rarely leave the FE trading area.

Offline MS3866

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2019, 01:08:43 PM »
Hello Vlad,

I always wonder you visit various shipard of western Japan in a short trip.
I'm looking forward to seeing nice photos to come.

Best regards,
MS3866

Offline lappino

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2019, 01:20:32 PM »
I wasn't going to post the obscure ones first, Pieter, but now that you've mentioned... :)

Anyway, here we go.

Upon my arrival to Sasebo by a train from Hakata late in the night, I immediately went to port, to see whatever was there. Nothing much, but I've still managed to take a photo of this "ferry by night", "Ferry Namizi":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975394

Early next morning, I took a ferry to Oshima island, to take a look at mostly bulkers under construction there, as well as the tankers fitting out at Sasebo Heavy Industries shipyard.

Tanker "Crescent River":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975409  

Tanker "Prometheus Energy":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975410

Sasebo is also an important naval base, hence this JMSDF destroyer:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975407

Now, ships under construction at Oshima shipyard.

"Adventure III":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975412

"Global Koma":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975414

"Nord Biscay":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975416

"Alam Kuasa":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975418

"Berge Taranaki":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975420

...and the two of them together:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975421

To be continued with Nagasaki, and then some...


Offline Phil English

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2019, 03:27:36 PM »
Pure quality, Vlad. Keep them coming :-)

Brgds
Phil

Offline Brent

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2019, 05:43:55 PM »
Great overview of current Japanese production Vlad, a bit taken aback though with the change in displaying Inui company colours, a company very familiar in our parts:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975452

...

Offline lappino

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2019, 04:37:34 AM »
Thank you for your comments.

So, on to Nagasaki.

At Mitsubishi's Tategami facility, close to downtown, there was some navy and JCG activity, but I was more interested in civilian vessels, like this LPG tanker, "Future Ace":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975427

On the opposite side of the bay, small local yards keep building fishing vessels...

"Soho Maru No. 17":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975429

...and refurbishing small ferries.

"Ferry Ocean":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975441

At Mitsubishi's Koyagi facility, there were some LNG tankers to be seen.

"Marvel Crane":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975431

MHI hull No. 2332, to be named "Diamond Gas Sakura" (thanks to Phil for the info!):

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975437

"Bushu Maru":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975439

All these ships were spotted using the fast ferry service going from Nagasaki to one of the local islands, a half an hour trip costing less than the port cruise, but allowing you to see much more.

Then, JR train to Isahaya, followed by a trip on a private (non JR) railway "Shimabara Tetsudo" to Tairamachi, and a 40 minutes ferry ride to Nagasu, close to Kumamoto, for there was a JMU shipyard there, and this baby, "Phoenix Jamnagar":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975059

At Tairamachi, ferry "Sunrise" was taking a rest:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975444

As the Nagasu ferry port was some 2 km from the railway station, catching the local train required some running, but I managed to transfer to the Shinkansen train at Kumamoto just in time, and then proceeded to Onomichi, almost 500 km (but only 2 hrs fast train ride) away, where I retired for the night.

To be continued with Onomichi, Tsuneishi and Mihara...


Offline lappino

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2019, 08:17:27 AM »
The day at Onomichi started with a regular ferry ride to Tsuneishi, which passed by the Onomichi Dockyard, as well as Tsuneishi shipyard later on. There were two product tankers fitting out afloat at Onomichi...

"Sunda":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975448

"Karimata":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975450

As well as a bulker that was formally delivered in January, but was still at the yard for whatever reason.

"Ken Jyo" (maybe the certificates were issued for "Ken JOY", and they were waiting for toner to amend them... OK, I know, I'm not really a stand-up comedian...):

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975452

At Tsuneishi shipyard, there were some bulkers and a tanker.

"Southern Glory:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975454

"Atlantic Samurai":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975456

Tsuneishi Fukuyama hull No. 1564:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975459

But perhaps the most interesting find of the morning presented itself in the form of a very specific cruise ship "Guntu", a very luxurious way to enjoy the views offered by the Seto Inland Sea. While being generally similar to those European river cruise motorized barges (I don't know what else to call them), the likes of which are hundreds on the Danube, Rhine and other rivers, she offers the unique Japanese touch and tradition. Seeing her from afar, first I thought that it was some warehouse... :)

"Guntu:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2974310

Next, back to Mihara and a fast boat trip to Okunoshima island, to see Imabari shipyard at Aki-Saizaki...

Offline lappino

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #8 on: March 07, 2019, 07:35:42 AM »
So, fast boat took me from Mihara to the "Rabbit Island" of Okunoshima.

See, back in WW2, the Japanese Army has established a secret chemical weapons research facility on the island, so secret that the entire island was removed from every map. Rabbits were used for testing but, resilient and very reproductive creatures that they are, they managed to multiply in copious numbers. So, after that facility was no more, and Okunoshima was put back on maps, they became the local attraction.

Of course, for me it was just a trip by the local Imabari yard that I was interested in, to see whatever was going on with its Yang Ming orders. There were two almost ready YM ships there.

"YM Warranty":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975464

"YM Wellspring", on her sea trials:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975466

Also on sea trials, a bulk carrier, for a change.

"Spring Passion" (cats know this term very well!):

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975083

There was also some traffic along the coast.

"Lucky Shosen":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975784

In the small port of Mihara, I finally took a proper photo of an old relic still being used for storage:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975462

And there were also newer looking small ships, like this tanker:

"Sanko Seiryu":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975796

Next, Kure and Hiroshima...

Offline lappino

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #9 on: March 08, 2019, 07:07:24 AM »
After returning to Mihara port, I took a shinkansen train to Hiroshima, followed by a quick transfer to a local train to Kure. There I wanted to board the ferry to Hiroshima, just to be able to see those magenta/pink container ships for Ocean Network Express under construction at JMU shipyard. After buying the ticket (there is a discount for foreigners), I noticed that there was a naval base cruise available, that would allow me not only to see the shipyard, but also the JMSDF naval vessels at the Kure Naval Base. I would have gladly forfeited the ticket I already bought, but the cruise boat has just departed. Oh well, I will have it in mind for the next time.

So, this babies were available for viewing at JMU shipyard, the last two ONE ships.

"One Apus":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975653

"One Cygnus", the last one:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975659

Together:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975071

On the way to Hiroshima, there was one hard working small LPG tanker at the anchorage:

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975651

Then, a tram ride from Hiroshima port to the railway station, where I took a fast train to Fukuyama, changing for the bus, to try to see some yards along the Shimanami Kaido, an expressway connecting Honshu and Shikoku islands. That did not play out too well, as it was already getting dark; the photos I made were good enough as "evidence", but definitely not up to site standards.

So, I arrived at Imabari, spending the night at a local hotel, which I will not name, that offerred me exactly what I needed: a bed for the night. Otherwise, it was very old place, but the interesting thing was that the Internet booking sites proudly advertised it for a price of up to 100$. Which was ridiculous, so I just arrived there without the reservation and paid the budget-breaking 40$ on the spot.

Anyway, the next day was rainy, so I rescheduled my trip somewhat, still managing to visit the Imabari yard, with its new feeders for Evergreen, and some tankers.

"Ever Build":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975695

"Oxalis Lotus":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975693

Then I caught the train to Marugame, again to see the local Imabari yard, this time with much larger container vessels for Evergreen:

"Ever Govern":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975699

...and the next bulker in a series for "K Line", still looking for her IMO number:

"Miyagawa Maru":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975697

Next: Sakaide and Takamatsu...


Offline lappino

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2019, 07:22:51 AM »
I need to finish what I started, so...

From Marugame I took a local train going towards Okayama on the Honshu Island (that main land mass in Japan), over the series of bridges offering views of Kawasaki shipyard in Sakaide.

There was only one LPG tanker worthy of a photo, the "Pyxis Pioneer":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975666

The view from the bridge also offered a view of whatever traffic was there.

VLCC "Eneos Ocean":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975671

Small LPG tanker "Hakusei Maru No. 55":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975684

Then I went back to Takamatsu on the Shikoku Island, and took photos of two bulkers under construction there:

"New Noble":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975686

"Serene Ocean":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975688

Next, a ferry trip from Takamatsu to Kobe did not offer too many photo possibilities, as it was raining; next, I took a shinkansen train to Kokura, spent the night there, and went to Kanmon Strait the next morning.

This usually busy waterway was somewhat less so, and there were but a few ships to see.

"Senyo Maru":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975705

"Sumiho Maru No. 51":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975793

Then I took a "limited express" train to Oita, changing for the local train that eventually took me to the small town of Shitanoe, where I went to see the local shipyard, and this was the result:

Chemical tanker "Princess Topaz":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975703

And a small JCG patrol boat being refurbished at a small yard:

"Toyokaze CL46":

http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2975712

And that was it.

Thank you for your attention!


Offline spotti

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2019, 09:19:20 PM »
Hello Vlad
Thanks again for your hard work, high quality photos, and detailed
analysis of world wide shipping during a very long time.
Your continued efforts are adding so much value to this site for all members, and
especially - I think - for members like me who feel stuck in the shallow waters
of Northern Europe.
When I am reading you posts/seeing your photos I somehow feel that I am "out of
the shallows now", - at least for a short while (credits/thanks to a certain
female singer)! Niels

Offline lappino

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Re: New trip to Japan
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2019, 11:54:35 AM »
Thanks, Niels.

I have a bit less time than before for my travels, but at least I will try to organize all the photos I've taken so far... :)

Cheers

Vlad

 

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