In response to Japan's Big Three shipowners' decision to finally join the ultra-large container ship (ULCS) bandwagon, ClassNK has initiated a joint research project on brittle crack design. The project will be carried out in collaboration with the Japanese Welding Engineering Society (JWES), steel manufacturers, shipbuilders, and neutral research institutes. In an interview with IHS Maritime, ClassNK president Noboru Ueda said, "Imabari Shipbuilding began building 14,000 teu ships in 2012 and it is now building 20,000 teu ships. Therefore, this has led to many discussions about the so-called age of mega container ships."
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