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Japan highly depends on overseas energy sources. Accordingly, it is an
important policy goal to secure stable transportation system of energy resources,
such as crude oil, to Japan. Over 300 million tons a year of energy resources
are being supplied to Japan in ship bottoms. About 78% of them are being carried
by the Japanese merchant fleet including chartered foreign vessels. Japanese-flag
ships carried about 47% of this in 1978. Stable transportation of energy resources
presupposes the maintenance of the share of the Japanese merchant fleet at the
current level. To provide against a possible global tightening of the tonnage
supply-demand situation due to some sea lane troubles, however. Japan should
maintain a fleet mainly consisting of Japanese-flag ships manned by Japanese
seamen.
In the past, the Japanese shipping industry was constructing and expanding
a ocean-going fleet, particularly of oil tankers and coal carriers, under the
annual Government-Sponsored Shipbuilding Program. In recent years, rises in
the ship cost have robbed Japanese-flag ships of their international competitive
edge. If this situation continues, Japanese tonnage will decrease and the share
of the Japanese fleet will decline. To prevent that, the government in fiscal
1979 expanded and reinforced the Government-Sponsored Shipbuilding Program and
took such steps as reviving interest differential subsidization in order to
beef up the Japanese oceangoing merchant fleet.
To defend the tanker sea lanes across the Indian Ocean from the Persian Gulf
and through the Straits of Malacca, which is the oil transportation route to
Japan, international cooperation concerning nautical marks and waterways should
be promoted. Moreover, economic aid should be extended to resources-exporting
countries to help them construct and improve port facilities and railways.
Natural gas is considered the most promising non-oil energy source from a
short- and mid-range viewpoint. The importance of LNG transportation will increase
hereafter. Japan imported about 11 million tons of LNG in 1978. All the 19 LNG
carriers used for LNG transportation to Japan are foreign ships and are operated
by foreign ship lines. Japan, virtually the No. I maritime country in the world.
deplorably lags behind other countries in LNG transportation. LNG demand in
this nation will grow further. For a stable supply of this item, Japanese ships
should perform the main role in LNG transportation.
Some energy resources, such as oil, are dangers themselves. Accordingly,
their transportation, unlike the transportation of other cargo items, requires
some particular safety measures.
The amount of oil product transport In Japan In fiscal 1978 was 331 million
tons and 64,645 million ton-kilometers, representing 6.1% and 15.8%, respectively,
of the total freight transport in this country. With the upward trend in oil
consumption. The amount has been increasing. Of the above, coastal shipping
accounted for 43% of tonnage and 90% of ton-kilometers. The high percentages
are due to the fact that Japan is a long island country, depends on overseas
sources for almost all its oil requirements and has its oil refineries, factories
and electric power stations mostly in waterfront areas. For middle-distance
transportation, railways are depended on, accounting for 6% in tonnage and 5%
in ton-kilometers, and trucks are used in terminal, short-distance transport,
representing 51% in tonnage and 6% in ton-kilometers. The proportion of pipelines
is very low compared with the situation in Western countries.
A pipeline is a superior means of oil transport. It can carry a large amount
of oil continuously and stably. Its introduction and development should be studied.
At present, construction of a pipeline for the supply of aircraft fuel to the
New Tokyo International Airport in Narita is considered an urgent task.
(1) Construction of Energy Ports
Since the second half of the 1950s, demand for imported energy sources, such
as crude oil and coal, has been growing in Japan. Construction of large ports
necessary for the unloading of such energy sources has been carried out under
the oil port system and the steel port system by investing treasury funds.
Imports of such non-oil energy sources as energy coal and LNG are expected
to increase hereafter. Moreover, the need of stepping up the energy stockpile
is growing stronger. To cope with these requirements, steps should be taken
in respective areas.
Plans to construct energy ports are liable to be affected by environmental
problems in waterfront areas. Moreover, sea lanes along waterfront areas are
becoming highly congested with marine traffic. Accordingly, the Government has
decided to construct energy ports out in the sea from a middle- and long-range
viewpoint. With such an objective, research and development efforts are being
made in the field of port civil engineering and for the construction of floating
structures.
(2) Study of Offshore Oil Stockpiling
As of October 31,1979, Japan held a stockpile of oil enough to meet 101 days'
demand. The stock should be increased further for an assured supply of oil in
this country. In Japan, with small habitable land and a large population, tanks
for oil storage should be constructed not only in water-front areas. An offshore
oil stockpile system with different tanks from those used on land should be
developed. Studies to develop such a system are already being made.
(3) Oil Stockpile in Tankers
Establishment of oil stockpile in permanent tanks under a national management
requires a large space and large facilities for safety reasons, and construction
of storage facilities is a time-consuming task. Therefore, as a stopgap measure,
utilization of oil tankers, which are now in excessive supply, for the stockpiling
was planned. A total of 20 tankers aggregating 2,400,000 gross tons began to
be used for such a purpose in the autumn of 1978. They consisted of 10 tankers
aggregating 1,220,000 gross tons under the anchoring system in Tachibana Bay,
Nagasaki Prefecture, and the same number of tankers aggregating 1,180,000 gross
tons under the drifting system in waters west of the Ogasawara Islands
To Japan, a country girdled by the sea, the ocean, which teems with boundless possibilities of development, is worthy of development as a national project. The Ministry of Transport is already conducting basic research and technical development endeavors for the tapping of ocean resources. In the future, studies should be made to develop technology to construct large ocean structures and to moor such structures, technology to ensure the safety of operations in stormy weather and technology to bring the collected energy to land - all for the development of undersea resources, specifically oil and natural gas.
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