Hitachi Zosen Affiliate Inspected by Transport Ministry; Found to Have Falsified Fuel Economy Data for Ship Engines

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:24 JST, July 10, 2024

The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry on Wednesday conducted on-site inspections at Imex Co. — an affiliate of heavy machinery maker Hitachi Zosen Corp. — in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, after it was found to have falsified fuel economy data for ship engines that had been shipped out since 1999.

Hitachi Zosen Marine Engine Co., another Hitachi Zosen subsidiary based in Nagasu, Kumamoto Prefecture, was also found to have been involved in falsifying data in violation of the Marine Pollution Prevention Law and was inspected on-site by the ministry on Monday.

According to the ministry and the parent company, Imex falsified data on the fuel consumption rate, which indicates the amount of fuel required for a given power, for 414 ship engines shipped after September 1999 that were subject to nitrogen oxide regulations. Of these, 95% were for foreign-registered vessels.

After receiving a report on the cases from the parent company, the ministry ordered the company on July 5 to clarify the full extent of the cases and formulate measures to prevent recurrence before reporting on them by the end of August.