Some Japanese shipbuilders have declared force majeure on delays of newbuilding deliveries in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami catastrophe. Steel materials and other marine equipment took a hit from the disaster.
Sumitomo Metal Industries' Kashima mill has ceased supplying steel plates to shipyards and other equipment makers such as Nippon Paint Marine Coatings, Niigata Power Systems have also suffered damages to their production facilities.
Meanwhile, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has announced that Onahama Shipyard located in Iwaki, Fukushima, saw all its facilities destroyed by the earthquake. As a block manufacturer this loss will further add to the woes of Japanese yards' supply chains.