April 23, 2008
In our initial news releases on this subject, we announced that on April 21, 2008, a small unidentified boat east of the Yemeni city of Aden approached the NYK VLCC Takayama and fired some form of munition. We can now update that information as follows.
・Takayama's Current Position
After having arrived at the port of Aden at 9:30 a.m. Japan time (3:30 a.m. local time) on April 22 and awaited entry permission from the port authority, Takayama was finally able to shift to the anchoring position at 11:30 p.m. Japan time (5:30 p.m. local time) on the same day.
・Inspection and Repairs
An inspector from NK will arrive in Aden on April 24 from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, a little later than the originally scheduled arrival of April 22. After the inspector's arrival, a careful inspection will be conducted. TMM, the ship-management company for Takayama, is also dispatching a person to Aden, and he is also scheduled to arrive on April 24.
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, known as ClassNK or NK, is a ship classification society founded in 1899. NK is dedicated to ensuring the safety of life and property at sea, and the prevention of pollution of the marine environment. The principal work of the society's expert technical staff is to undertake surveys to ensure that the rules that it has developed are applied to new buildings and existing ships to ensure their safety. The rules cover not only hull structures but also propulsion systems, electronic systems, safety equipment, cargo handling gear, and various other areas. NK's surveyors work in shipbuilding and repair yards and at ports across the world, wherever they may be called upon to examine the condition of a ship.
