Zero-emission ships: Japan's largest maritime city, Imabari, and the Murakami pirates

A major shipbuilding company with its headquarters in Imabari City is expanding the dock where it builds ships from 2024. The aim is to capture the demand for ships that run on hydrogen and ammonia, which do not emit carbon dioxide, as part of measures to combat global warming in the shipping industry. Global measures are being implemented in the shipping industry, such as the introduction of new environmental regulations by the European Union, and it is expected that the number of "zero-emission ships" that run on hydrogen and ammonia, which do not emit carbon dioxide, will increase in the future. With regard to "zero-emission ships," Imabari Shipbuilding, Japan's largest shipbuilding company, is developing ships that run primarily on ammonia, and the company is moving forward with decarbonization efforts toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

A view of shipbuilding companies from Hashihama Port

The Kurushima Strait, located beyond Imabari, is in the center of the Seto Inland Sea, so the tidal fluctuations are large. The currents are fast due to the influence of the scattered small islands, and it has long been known as a difficult place for shipping on the Seto Inland Sea. For this reason, this area has been the base of the navy (Murakami clan) since ancient times. The navy was an armed maritime group based in Innoshima, Noshima, and Kurushima, and left its mark on history throughout the Nanboku-cho period, Muromachi period, and Sengoku period, and the navy became the foundation of the maritime industry, including ports, shipping, and shipbuilding.

Click here for a sightseeing boat that allows you to get up close and personal with the shipyard (rapid current observation boat)