World shipping is set to get a new capesize builder. Oshima Shipbuilding is about to take over Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ giant Koyagi Plant in Nagasaki, a deal first hatched in late 2019. Yesterday at a press conference in Tokyo, top management at Oshima, a yard renowned for its smaller dry bulk output, outlined how they intend to use their new acquisition.
The Koyagi dock will focus on dry bulk carriers, Oshima’s specialty, but is likely to see a jump up in size to capes. Oshima will also look at manufacturing LNG fuel tanks at its newly acquired yard, which it is set to finally take over in the next couple of months.
Mitsubishi Heavy has been scaling back its commercial shipbuilding operations in recent years. Its Koyagi facility features one of the biggest drydocks in Japan.