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September 15, 2006
Visithing the Nippon Steel Corporation, Yawata Works and Hakata Port
On day six i.e., Friday 15 September 2006, according to our schedule we would have two main events, first to visit Nippon Steel Corporation Yawata Works and second visit Port of Hakata.
About 12.00 pm we left Nippon Steel Corporation and got back into the bus heading to Port of Hakata. We had our lunch on the bus during our drive to Hakata Port. The trip about two hours and finally we arrived at Port of Hakata around 02.00 pm.
Firstly, we arrived at Hakata Port Terminal which provides international passenger liner route to Busan and reported able to handle approximately 680.000 sea passengers during 2005. The domestic passenger route reported has carried around 1.28 million passenger ferries annually. Different type of ferry and jetfoils for Busan route are available at the terminal. The next we went onboard the small cruise ship and experience boat ride on Hakata Bay guided by Mr. Masanari Suzuki Manager Port Promotion Section Hakata Port and Harbour Bureau. We travelled around 45 minutes onboard ship. Besides the wonderful scenery alongside the bay, we also viewed many port activities, which give us so much impression of a well planned port. Port of Hakata has developed as a hub port directly linking Kyushu and the world, therefore number of dedicated facilities are available there as follows:
1. Island City Container Terminal
Container terminals at island city currently has a 14-meter-deep berth equipped with three gantry cranes and nine transfer cranes and is operated as a state-of art foreign trade container terminal.
2. Kashii Park Port Container Terminal
Kashii Park Port Container Terminal equipped with two 13-meter-deep berth and four gantry cranes. Kyushu's first large x-ray inspection apparatus is operated at the adjacent International Cargo Inspection Center.
Island City and Kashii Park Port operated 24 hours for 364 days a year and the volume of international marine container handled at both terminals in 2005 is some 580,000 TEUs.
3. Hakozaki Wharf
Hakozaki Wharf is the largest wharf at the Port of Hakata. Direct access to the Kyushu Expressway and Fukuoka Airport trough two Fukuoka Expressway ramps leading to the wharf, as well as an adjacent Japan Railway's Freight Line, provide highly efficient and intermodal transport. Major item handled are vehicles, other transportation machinery, wheat, steel product, and industrial machinery. Cargo handling volume is some 6.32 million tons.
4. Chuo Wharf
Chuo Wharf has important role as an advanced distribution hub close to the city center. For that purpose, different kinds of facilities such as sophisticated warehouses, an international terminal and large convention facilities are situated at there. Major items handled are vehicles, agricultural product, daily necessities, papers, pulp, and marine products.
5. Suzuki Wharf
Suzuki Wharf's function as an important grain distribution point in Kyushu is more important than ever since food import is now increasing. Major items handled are sweet corn, wheat, steel product, wooden works, and beans with total handling volume 1.72 million tons.
6. Hagashihama Wharf
This facility is operated to handle construction materials, and LNG which mainly imported from Malaysia and other countries. Major items handled at this wharf are gravel, sand, cement, LNG, steel product, and petroleum product with total handling volume about 3.71 million tons.
7. Hakata Pier
Hakata Pier serves as a terminal for domestic regular services such as Iki and Tsushima routes or Goto routes and municipal ferry services. Major items handled are beverage, clothes, personal belongings, animal/plant feed and fertilizer, and electronic products with total cargo handling volume about 0.17 million tons.
8. The Aratsu area
This area serves as an oil entrepot port. It handles 4.75 million tons of petroleum and heavy oil during 2005. Petroleum product consumed in the metropolitan area and Kyushu are distributed from here. Major items handled within this area are petroleum products, heavy oil, LPG, and chemicals.
Those different types of sophisticated facilities lead Port of Hakata as a hub port for economic activities linking Kyushu with the world. As the population of Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefecture is approximately 15 million, and GDP is 51 trillion yen enable the Port of Hakata play a major role to support Fukuoka City as Trade Center of Kyushu.
After traveling alongside the Hakata Bay we still have opportunity to visit Port of Hakata Office. After having warm welcome we have interesting presentation and discussion about Port of Hakata activities from Mr. Manasari Suzuki Manager Port Promotion Section Hakata Port and Harbour Bureau. During this activity we also have precious time for question and answer about port activities which are much related to our study at WMU especially for Port and Shipping Management Student.
Finally at 16.00 we left Port of Hakata and went back to our hotel. That day was busy day, yet we never feel tired because of having a lot of new interesting experiences and gain so many information and knowledge. Thank you very much for The Nippon Foundation and the Ocean Policy Research Foundation for providing us with this precious opportunity to broaden our knowledge through this Japan field trip.
The wonderful scenery of Hakata Bay Fukuoka
It was the second day of our stay in Fukuoka and we did not have to wake up so early like the day before. The weather was nice. We depart from Takakura Hotel at 8:00 AM sharp (as Ms. Miyo, our guide said) and after one and a half hour ride by bus, we arrived at Yawata Works.
Yawata Works is one of 10 steel works where Nippon Steel Corporation (formerly Yawata Steel Works) started its operation in 1901. Yawata is located in Kyushu Island, north east of Fukuoka. As of 2005, it employs 2,859 personnel producing around 3.9 million tonnes of crude steel and 4.4 million tonnes of steel products. From raw materials of iron ore, coal and limestone, Yawata Works produces hot rolled steel sheet, tin plated steel sheet, cold rolled steel sheet, galvanized steel sheet, electrical steel sheet, spiral steel pipe, rails, shape steels and sheet piles.
Before sightseeing the factory, we have been given a presentation by Mr. Masuda Koichi and watching a movie about Yawata Works and Nippon Steel Corporation. We were learning that ISO 9001 Quality Management System and safe working environment are strictly applied in Yawata Works. As usual, Sasakawa Fellows had asked some questions to Mr. Masuda as the host, before finally he took us to one of important working site. We had to be equipped with helmets and hand gloves for safety. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the factory for security reason.
It was a blast furnace with more than 2200℃ temperature inside for melting raw materials and converting them into various steel shapes. Once the blast furnace is ignited, the fire remains for 10 to 15 years because it will need another 10 years to put the fire off and start a new ignition. Yawata Works has 4 units of blast furnace to be used alternatively. To transport the melted steel within the factory, it uses special kind of railway wagons called torpedo car with silicon insulating inside the tank.
At 12.00 we ended the trip to Yawata Works by taking a group photo in front of its main office building. We also had an opportunity to take pictures in a memorial hall that told us brief history of steel works in Yawata.
I had looked forward to visiting Nippon steel Corporation Yawata Works because I am Engineer and interested in latest issues of this fields. Yawata Works of Nippon Steel Corporation is worth visiting because as far as modern history is concerned, this factory has one of most historic places in Japan. It is said that it leads to modern economical and technological advance in Japan. Thanks to their ceaseless efforts, they still keep playing an important role in the steel industries. This is because we were allowed to take pictures only in the bus.
I'm sorry to say that there were not enough time to see everything in Yawata Works. One of reasons is that we ask a lot of questions because almost all were interested in their works. History, Technology and facilities all things attract us.
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