NYK Line

1870-1885: from Tsukumo Shokai to Nippon Yussen

In 1870, the shogun Yamanauti of the Tosa shogunate created the company Tsukumo Shokai, which was engaged in purchasing for the fleet.

In 1871, as a result of the Meiji Revolution in Japan, the shogunates were eliminated. Yataro Iwasaki , who served as a shogun and married a girl of the samurai lineage, accepted a company whose fleet was two steamboats, with the condition of paying off part of the shogun’s debt several years later.

In 1873, the company changed the name Mitsukawa Shokai.

The company’s competitor was the shipping company Nippon-koku jubin jokisen (Post Shipping Company), created as a result of the merger of the fleet of Japan’s largest trading houses, Mitsui, Konoike, Shimada, and Ono.

In 1874, an uprising broke out on the island of Japan, which belonged to Japan, and the company began to transport troops and weapons to Taiwan earlier than its competitor. As a result, by decision of the de facto head of government, Tosimi Okubo , the companies transferred 13 cargo ships purchased by the government abroad for $ 1.5 million specifically for a military expedition to Taiwan. In addition, the government has pledged to redeem her court from the ruined "Nippots-Koku" and donate them to "Mitsukawa Shokai."

In 1875, the company name was changed to the Mitsubishi Mail Steamship Company, it was the shipping division of the Mitsubishi group of companies that grew up on the basis of the shipping business of Yataro Iwasaki, Japan’s second largest zaibatsu . The company opened the first Japanese sea passenger line from Yokohama to Shanghai.

In 1881, Japanese Prime Minister Tosimi Okubo , who was supporting Yataro Iwasaki , was killed. The new government eliminated the monopoly of Mitsubishi on sea transportation and transferred the carriage for the needs of the state to the new shipping company - Kyodo Unyu Kaisha.

The fight between Mitsubishi and Kyodo Unyu Kaisha has become one of the largest competitive wars in the 19th century Japan.

In January 1885, Iwasaki declared that he was tired of fighting and therefore would bring his fleet into the sea and burn it in full view of the government building. In order to prevent the loss of the greater part of the country's merchant fleet, the ministers proposed combining competing companies.

In July 1885, the shipping unit Mitsubishi and Kyodo Unyu Kaisha merged into Japan’s largest shipping company, Nippon Yusen, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), whose fleet consisted of 58 steamboats.

1885–1940

In 1896, the company opened a representative office in London and began servicing European and Australian routes.

in 1899 a regular line to London was opened.

In 1906, a company building was built at the port of Otaru, designed by Sidziro Satate, a student of British architect Josai Conder.

In 1914, the ship "Tokushima Maru" became the first Japanese ship that passed through the Panama Canal. This was the beginning of the shipping through the canal to New York. In 1919, opened the freight lines to Hamburg and Liverpool. In 1920, NYK opened a representative office in New York. In subsequent years, the company has been actively developing and acquiring Dai-ni Tokyo Kisen Kaisha with shipping routes to San Francisco and the west coast of South America.

In 1929, two red stripes on a white background became the official markings on the pipes of NYK ships.

In 1935, NYK solemnly celebrated its 50th anniversary and began serving the Scandinavian freight lines.

During these years, the flesh until the end of the Second World War, the largest shareholder of Nippon Yusen repent, who owned even a larger stake than the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, was the imperial family of Japan. ^[one]

1941: Company fleet in World War II

By 1941, the company was the third largest shipping company in the world. .

During World War II, the company lost 185 ships, retaining only 37.

The Yasukuni Maru liner , built in 1930, was requisitioned in 1939 by the Japanese Navy and used as a transport. From December 1940 - the floating base of submarines . Sunk January 31, 1944 US submarine USS Trigger (SS-237) at coordinates 09 ° 15′N 147 ° 13′E.

On April 1, 1945, the former liner of the company - the Red Cross vessel “ Ava Maru ” was sunk by torpedoes of the American submarine USS Queenfish (SS-393) . Commander Charles Louglin, on the basis of data from the on-board radar, identified and “identified” the target as a Japanese destroyer. “Ava Maru” sank for 2 minutes at a depth of 60 meters at the point with coordinates 24º41'N 119º 12'E. When torpedoing killed 1900 passengers and 148 crew members. ^[2]

1945-2000: post-war development

After World War II, the company had only 37 vessels left. Since the beginning of the 50s, the company has been actively returning lost positions in the shipping market. Practically all popular shipping directions are resumed.

In 1964, the merger of NYK and Mitsubishi Shipping Co., Ltd., resulting in a fleet of the company amounted to 153 vessels with a carrying capacity of 2,287,696 tons.

In the 1960s, the company abandoned passenger lines and entered the sphere of container traffic that was beginning to take shape. In 1968, the company Hakone Maru, the first Japanese container ship, was built by order of the company.

In 1970-1971, transportation to the western and eastern coasts of North America and Europe began. In 1973, NYK shares were listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Ten years later, NYK Lines (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. was established.

In the 1980s, the company actively created logistics centers: the first was a logistics center in Toronto, then centers were opened in Bangkok, Los Angeles and Sydney. The company has established the Worldwide Information Network Services for Logistics International Logistics Services Network (WINS) on Pacific routes.

In 1989, the company returned to passenger traffic, creating a subsidiary of Crystal Cruises , and in 1990, also under its own brand.

from 2000 to the present

In 2001, the “Double Wing” logo of the united group “NYK Logistics & Megacarrier” was created.

In 2003, the united logistics company NYK Logistics (Europe) Ltd. was established.

In 2004, the rebranding of all NYK logistics branches under the unified brand NYK Logistics was carried out and today this company is the leading shipping company and the largest logistics operator.

In 2008, the company employed 55 thousand people, had a network of 240 offices and agencies in 27 countries of the world, the company operated a fleet of 776 vessels, including 155 container ships, 286 bulk carriers, 55 timber trucks, 113 auto transporters, 21 refrigerators, 78 tankers, 30 liquefied gas carriers (LNG).

NYK has subsidiaries in Belgium , Great Britain , Germany , Denmark , Italy , the Netherlands , Finland , France and Sweden . As of the end of March 2012, NYK operated 838 main ocean vessels, 148 container ships, and also has a fleet of aircraft, trains, and trucks. NYK's revenue in fiscal year 2011 was about $ 23 billion (about 710 billion rubles). The number of employees worldwide is almost 55,000 people. ^[3]

The company's turnover in fiscal year 2005 (ended in March 2006) was about 2 trillion yen ($ 18 billion), profit - 92 billion yen ($ 834 million).

Activities in Russia

NYK has a branch in St. Petersburg in Russia ; The company is engaged in the transshipment of containers in the port of the city. ^[3]

In 2012, the company and the Russian logistics operator ROLF SCS, a member of the ROLF group, signed an agreement on the creation of a joint venture. NYK's share in the new venture was 51%, ROLF SCS received 49%. ^[3]

In 2012, the NYK Group bought a controlling stake (51%) of its subsidiary Rolf SCS from the Russian car dealer Rolf, which specializes in car transportation. At the same time, the Rolf SCS group continues to act under the commercial name Rolf ^[4] .

• Official site of the company (English)