Interview with Ren Wada, CEO of Abo Shoten　安保商店・和田連CEOに聞く

Aiming to smooth fleet expansion through “quantitative ordering”

20 bulkers and seven tankers, with vessel-type diversification and management capability as twin pillars

「定量発注」で船隊を平準化目指す

バルカー20隻・タンカー7隻、船種分散と管理力を両輪に

Abo Shoten, Ltd., headquartered in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, has been steadily increasing its fleet as a Japanese shipowner in the international shipping market. Its current holdings stand at 27 vessels, comprising 25 ocean-going ships and two domestic vessels. The bulker fleet totals 20 vessels, including Capesize units, while the seven tankers are centred on chemical tankers.

Key takeaways

→ Ren Wada, Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, has shifted away from investment strategies that seek to time market peaks too aggressively. Instead, he has adopted a policy of “quantitative ordering”, under which the company aims to build up its fleet through regular newbuilding orders of around two vessels per year on average.

→ In addition, the company differentiates between time charter (TC) and bareboat charter (BBC), while also diversifying both vessel types and management structures.

Photo courtesy of Abo Shoten

Photo captions are ASL ARK, built in June 2025 at Onomichi Dockyard, and ASL ACE, built in November 2025 at Naikai Zosen Corporation. The prefix “ASL” in the vessel names is derived from the initials of Abo Shoten, Ltd., and is commonly used for the company’s time-chartered fleet.

(Please read the full article below in both English and Japanese. The Japanese article follows the English version.)

安保商店(Abo Shoten)・和田連（Ren Wada）CEOに聞く

「定量発注」で船隊を平準化目指す

バルカー20隻・タンカー7隻、船種分散と管理力を両輪に

　安保商店（Abo Shoten, Ltd.、本社・広島県尾道市）は、日本船主として国際海運市場で着実に船舶保有数を増加させている。足元の保有は27隻（外航25隻、内航2隻）。バルカー20隻にはケープサイズも含み、タンカー7隻はケミカル中心だ。

この記事のポイント

→同社の和田連（Ren Wada）代表取締役社長執行役員（CEO）は、市況の波を「狙いすぎない」投資へと舵を切り、「毎年平均で2隻程度を定期的に新造船で積み上げる『定量発注』」を掲げる。

→さらに同社は、定期用船（TC）と裸用船（BBC）を使い分け、船種と管理体制も分散させている。

　Photo courtesy of Abo Shoten

　Photo captions are ASL ARK, built in June 2025 at Onomichi Dockyard, and ASL ACE, built in November 2025 at Naikai Zosen Corporation. The prefix “ASL” in the vessel names is derived from the initials of Abo Shoten, Ltd., and is commonly used for the company’s time-chartered fleet.

（続きは英語と日本語で書かれた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）