Shipyards Directory

Higaki Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

shipyard Imabari, Ehime, Japan

Higaki Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. is a Japanese shipyard in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, engaged in the design, development, construction and repair of a wide range of vessels. Founded in 1951 as a wooden boat builder and incorporated in 1964, the company deliberately avoids specialising in one ship type, having delivered more than 700 vessels including cargo ships, tankers, gas carriers, tween deckers and special-purpose ships. It states it built Japan's first coastal LNG carrier and first LNG-fuelled coastal cargo ship, and holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification. Operations are split between the head office yard in Koura-cho, the Namikata works and a Tokyo office housing a Ship Design Center.

Higaki Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

Higaki Shipbuilding is an Imabari-based shipbuilder whose stated policy is to build "good ships that meet the needs of the times" rather than specialise in a single vessel type. The business began in November 1951 when Hisao Higaki started an individual yard building and repairing wooden ships, and was incorporated as Higaki Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in June 1964. Cumulative deliveries passed 700 vessels in 2015, and the company reports over 700 ships delivered to date. It emphasises early response to changing regulations and environmental requirements, and is working on zero-emission vessel development alongside factory-level zero-emission targets.

Services

  • Design and development of various vessel types
  • New shipbuilding
  • Ship repair
  • After-sales service (dedicated telephone line)
  • Ship design work through the Tokyo Ship Design Center, opened at the Tokyo office in April 2026

Vessel Types

  • Cargo ships (example: 8,000 M.T. D/W cargo ship)
  • Tankers, including chemical tankers (example: 7,600 M.T. D/W chemical tanker)
  • Gas carriers, including LNG carriers (example: 2,500 m³ LNG carrier)
  • Special-purpose ships, including ethylene carriers (example: 1,500 m³ ethylene carrier)
  • Tween deckers
  • Stated firsts: Japan's first coastal LNG carrier (completed July 2003) and Japan's first LNG-fuelled coastal cargo ship
  • Noise-regulation-compliant near-sea vessel described as the first of its kind, with ClassNK "NVC (Noise and Vibration Comfort)" notation
  • Hi-Max-Eco eco-ship series, stated to clear EEDI Phase 3

Facilities

  • Head office and main yard building berth: 140.00 m long × 30.00 m wide, up to 25,000 DWT
  • Namikata Works: 260 m outfitting quay, painting building, block fabrication shop (completed 2008); second 240-tonne jib crane installed 2016
  • Namikata South Works, completed June 2022
  • Blast and painting shop (completed 2012); on-site solar power generation
  • Certifications: ISO 9001 (2000), ISO 14001 (2001), ISO 45001 (2020)

Location

  • Head office / main works: 1-4-25 Koura-cho, Imabari, Ehime 799-2111, Japan — Tel 0898-41-9147
  • Namikata Works: 1571-12 Namikata-Ko, Namikata-cho, Imabari, Ehime 799-2101
  • Tokyo Office: Shinkawa Musashiya Building 9F, 1-2-10 Shinkawa, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0033
  • Group companies: Higaki Shoji Co., Ltd., Setsuyo Kisen Co., Ltd., Techno Unity Co., Ltd.