NYK and JMU introduce new shipbuilding contract

NYK Line and Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) have agreed to introduce a new shipbuilding contract that guarantees propulsion performance in actual sea conditions.

NYK and JMU introduce new shipbuilding contract

Shipbuilding contracts typically guarantee ship speed by confirming the relationship between ship speed and horsepower in calm sea conditions without waves. Mutual confirmation then occurs during the sea trials that are conducted during construction.

However, calm voyages without wind and waves are rare during commercial voyages, and stormy weather conditions are often encountered. Therefore, it is generally the obligation of shipping companies to identify and procure ships that have good propulsion performance in actual weather conditions.

Recently, with the improvement of satellite communications at sea and the progress of IoT technology, it has become possible to efficiently collect a variety of useful data. In the midst of fierce competition in international shipping, NYK Line, which seeks further differentiate itself from others in ship performance, and JMU, which seeks to demonstrate the superior performance clause in the shipbuilding contract, have agreed to the introduction of an actual sea condition.

After a ship goes into service, NYK Line and JMU will collect necessary data for a certain period of time, verify the data, and confirm the degree of achievement of the guarantee. This performance guarantee will confirm the relationship between ship speed and horsepower under sea conditions that include wind and waves.

In addition to this guarantee, NYK Line and JMU will implement a PDCA improvement process and jointly work on the construction of other ship types in the future. Through many years of joint research between NYK Line and JMU, in addition to a common understanding of data processing, storage, analysis methods, etc., the two companies have established a cycle of feeding back obtained knowledge on design for the next new ship to continually improve performance.

The companies plan to further develop this guarantee for verification of propulsion performance for many ship types, which is difficult to do in sea trials at the time of construction. They will conduct discussions with NYK's partner shipyards on the performance of vessels in the actual sea conditions and make further improvements.