Message from
the President

First of all, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to all our shareholders and stakeholders for your continued support.

We, Asahi Tanker has been in business for 72 years in March 2023, and counting from the predecessor oil operation company (Tateishi Shoten) in the prewar period, we have been in business for 112 years. The 20th century was known as the "Century of Oil", and we have grown and developed together with oil during that time. Now, almost a quarter of the way through this century, the world has changed and is rapidly shifting from fossil fuel-based energy to renewable energy in order to achieve a "decarbonized society". While a "decarbonized society" is certainly to be achieved, we understand from recent developments that technological issues, cost burden issues, and social issues such as pandemics and international conflicts that impede global economic growth will sometimes force a slowdown in the path to decarbonization.

At the present day, energy supplies, like air and water, cannot be cut off even for a day. We believe that our primary mission is to firmly support the logistics of petroleum industry, until alternative energy sources become ubiquitous. Of course, if there is a demand for marine logistics for new energy, we believe we will inevitably build a new pillar of our business there. While fully utilizing the safe transportation system we have cultivated up to now, we will focus on providing vessels that meet future transportation needs and training excellent crew members to meet those needs.

Meanwhile, the declining workforce in Japan is leading to a situation where the shipping industry faces a serious problem of shortage of ship crews. Furthermore, the so-called "2024 problem" in the Japanese transportation industry will have no small impact on the coastal shipping industry in terms of logistics. Although the job of ship crews entails a unique environment where work and residence are integrated, it is an indispensable profession for Japan, which is surrounded by the sea from all sides. We will improve the work environment to make it more comfortable and attractive, creating an environment in which each crew member can engage in their work with pride that they are supporting energy of Japan.

We also consume energy for energy transportation. The world's first pure battery tanker, a ship friendly to the global environment, started operation in 2022, and the second one followed in March 2023. Today, two pure battery tankers are in operation in Tokyo Bay as a bunker barge for ocean-going vessels. Although there is still room for technological improvement and compared to the amount of CO2 emissions of the approximately 160 domestic and international vessels handled by our company group, this is a small amount, we shall take company-wide initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions.

We would greatly appreciate your continued support and guidance.

  • President, Chief Executive Officer
    Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd.
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