41st Reportage: Japanese Shipowners　第41回　ルポルタージュ日本船主

“Assertive Japanese shipowners consider moving away from domestic operators”

「強気の日本船主、オペレーターから離脱検討も」

　In early September, in the reception room of a regional shipowner, this reporter found it difficult to conceal his surprise while listening to the views of the company’s president.

　”If Japanese operators are unhappy with our shipmanagement or our vessels, they do not have to renew the charter contracts. The dry bulk market is currently around $50,000 a day for Capesizes and around $20,000 a day for Ultramaxes. There are several overseas operators that want to sign charter contracts with us, including multi-year deals.”

　”If anything, we are the ones who would like to reconsider our existing charter contracts.”

　Even if such views are confined to some Japanese shipowners, are there really owners who, backed by today’s firm dry bulk market and an alternative in the form of overseas operators, are prepared to say: “If operators are going to complain about us, we can simply switch to another overseas operator”?

　What exactly is happening between Japanese operators and Japanese shipowners?

■The full article covers the following topics (approximately 2,000 Japanese characters)

→ What happened between a Japanese operator and a Japanese shipowner over trouble involving a vessel in Australia

→ Differences in perceptions between the shipowner and the operator that emerged over how to respond to AMSA’s findings

→ “We also have the right to choose our operators” – a mid-sized Japanese shipowner explains a changing mindset

→ From 10- and 15-year charters to three- and five-year deals – how changing charter periods are affecting shipowners’ choices

→ Japanese shipowners deepen ties with overseas operators as their relationship with domestic operators begins to change

　(Please read the rest of the article in the subscriber-only edition, published in both English and Japanese. The Japanese article appears after the English version.)

第41回　ルポルタージュ日本船主

「強気の日本船主、オペレーターから離脱検討も」

　9月上旬、地方船主の応接室の一室。記者は日本船主の社長の意見を聞きながら、驚きを隠せなかった。

　「邦船オペレーターさんが当社の船舶管理、本船を気に入らないなら、別に用船契約を更改してもらわなくてもいい。足元のドライ市況はケープサイズで1日当たり5万ドル前後、ウルトラマックスで同2万ドル前後。海外オペで用船契約、しかも複数年で結びたいという会社はいくつもある。むしろ、我々としては現状の用船契約を見直したいぐらいだ」

　一部の日本船主とはいえ、足元の堅調なドライ市況、海外オペという第2の選択肢を背景に、「オペから文句を言われるくらいなら、他の海外オペに切り替える」という日本船主が存在するのだろうか。

　邦船オペレーター、日本船主の間で一体何が起きているのか。

■記事本文では以下の内容を読むことができます（記事全文約2,000文字）

→ 豪州でのトラブルを巡り、邦船オペレーターと日本船主の間に何が起きたのか

→ AMSAの指摘への対応を巡り、運航現場で浮かび上がった船主との認識の違い

→ 「我々自身がオペレーターを選ぶ権利もある」中堅船主が語る新たな意識

→ 10年、15年から3年、5年へ――用船期間の変化が船主の選択に与えた影響

→ 海外オペレーターとの関係を深める日本船主、変わり始めた邦船オペとの関係

（続きは英語と日本語で書かれた有料版の本文でお読みください。日本語の記事は英文記事に続いて掲載されています）