Namura Shipbuilding Plans to Build Large Dock in Saga Pref.

Osaka, Aug. 20 (Jiji Press)--Namura Shipbuilding Co. is considering building a large dock in Saga Prefecture, southwestern Japan, by 2035, people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

It will be Japan's first new large dock since Imabari Shipbuilding Co. completed one at its Marugame headquarters in the western city of Marugame, Kagawa Prefecture, in 2017.

Shipbuilding is one of 17 strategic fields targeted for priority investment under the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Namura Shipbuilding plans to join a public-private investment project to resume the domestic construction of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, carriers and intends to use the new dock for the project.

The new dock is planned near the company's Imari shipyard in the Saga city of Imari. The shipyard currently has a dock about 450 meters long and 70 meters wide and mainly builds large bulk carriers for transporting iron ore and other commodities.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]