Japan’s presence in the commercial shipbuilding market is poised to shrink further in the face of severe price competition from South Korea and China.
Four of the country’s major shipbuilding companies — Japan Marine United (JMU), Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding, Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) — are scaling back construction.
“It is notable that these larger Japanese yards are part of multifaceted business conglomerates where shipbuilding competes for resources and capital internally,” said Maritime Strategies International (MSI) director Stuart Nicoll.
