Orders at Japanese shipyards went up in June 2015, as ship owners rushed to construct ships that would comply with the International Maritime Organization's new standards that will take effect from July 1, 2016.

Figures from the Japan Ship Exporters' Association (JSEA) showed that its member shipyards secured 98 export orders of 4,671,040gt in June 2015, compared with 91 export orders totalling 3,392,460gt in June 2014.

The IMO's goal-based standards, which apply to bulkers and tankers, require wider and thicker timber in the construction of cargo holds. Consequently, the total steel weight would be increased correspondingly.

Accordingly, the International Association of Classification Societies has amended its common structural rules, which entered into force in July 2015.

JSEA said that the orders its members received in June included 56 bulkers, which consisted of seven Handysizes, 24 Handymaxes, nine Panamaxes, seven post-Panamaxes, seven Capesizes and two ore carriers.

Japanese shipbuilders are known for building bulk carriers.

In addition, JSEA member yards won orders for one very large crude carrier, 12 Aframax tankers, 20 product tankers, one chemical tanker, one LNG carrier, one LPG carrier, two container ships and four pure car and truck carriers.

JSEA member shipyards exported 20 ships of 772,173gt in June, down from the 25 ships of 993,551gt delivered in June 2014.

As of June 30, 2015, Japanese shipyards' outstanding orderbook stood at 708 ships of 32.75 million gt, compared with 720 ships of 30,111,940gt over the same period in 2014.