Namura Shipbuilding Weighs New Dry Dock for LNG Carriers

initiative to revive Japan's LNG shipbuilding capacity, which has been largely dormant since 2019. Investment in the new dock is estimated at up to approximately ¥100 billion, while the wider public-private shipbuilding programme is targeted at around ¥1 trillion by 2035. Namura's existing dock at Imari measures 450 by 70 metres. Under the initiative, Japan aims to initially build around three LNG carriers per year, with a longer-term target of up to five vessels annually once the new facility is operational. The country's overall shipbuilding capacity is targeted to roughly double, from about 9 million gross tonnes per year currently to 18 million gross tonnes per year by 2035, as Tokyo seeks to position shipbuilding as a strategic industry and reduce reliance on South Korean and Chinese yards for LNG carrier construction.