Provision of Financing to NS United Kaiun for the Acquisition of Japan's First Iron Ore Carrier, Which Is Also the World's Largest

NS United Kaiun Kaisha, Ltd. (headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), is a shipping company that specializes in the transport of dry bulk, mainly iron ore materials and energy resources. The company offers services as both an industrial carrier, transporting goods for Nippon Steel Corporation, and a common carrier, mainly a bulk carrier, covering a diverse range of transport demand via vessel allocation. The company has built itself a firm position in Japan's international ocean transport business.

DBJ contributed to putting together this financing for NS United Kaiun. The company used this financing to acquire the NSU Carajas, a Valemax-type of very large ore carrier (VLOC), the world's largest. The ship has a shipping capacity of 400,000 DWT and was the first to be built and purchased by a Japanese shipping company.

This vessel is chartered by Vale S.A., a world leader in resource development. The vessel is used as backbone transportation to carry large volumes of high-quality iron ore from Brazil to transfer stations, including China. The iron ore is blended at the transfer station and then is transferred by a Panamax vessel to countries in Asia, including Japan.

The acquired vessel, constructed by Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU), is a compilation of cutting-edge energy saving technologies. Owing to the combination of the high technical prowess in shipbuilding of JMU and the high quality transport services of NS United Kaiun, the ship is expected to create substantial added value as a key distribution infrastructure that supports the global steel industry.