Shipyard in Focus:Tsuneishi Shipbuilding – 120 Years of Innovation & Expansion

For more than 120 years, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding has been a force in global shipbuilding, evolving from a small domestic enterprise into an internationally respected brand. Established in 1903 by Katsutaro Kambara, Tsuneishi's journey mirrors the broader industrial and economic transformations of Japan and the maritime world itself.

Kambara's initial venture, Kambara Kisen Co., Ltd., was focused on shipping operations. By 1917, the company established its own construction and repair facility, Shiohama Dockyard, at the site of today's Tsuneishi Factory. In 1942, the facility was rebranded as Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, turning its focus to the construction and repair of wooden vessels critical to domestic transport during the war. Post-war, the company shifted toward steel ship construction, launching its first steel vessel, Mikomaru, in 1958. The completion of a 200,000-metric-ton repair facility in 1968 marked Tsuneishi’s arrival among Japan’s serious industrial shipbuilders.

Tsuneishi began making its mark with standardized carrier designs, starting with the TESS40 series in 1984, followed by continuous refinements with the TESS45, TESS52, and later the successful TESS58 Handymax bulkers. The Kamsarmax bulker, first completed in 2005, would become another signature product.

In the early 1990s, Tsuneishi set a template for overseas expansion that many shipbuilders would later follow. It