News
The number of new Japanese and foreign non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) registered and approved by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in 2013 amounted to 49, coming close to the 53 NVOCCs registered and approved in the previous calendar year.
Japanese operators wanted to do business as NVOCCs primarily to meet the demand of customers that have made inroads into other countries. Customers need NVOCC services linking Japan with other economies, urging Japanese cargo carriers to seek to be registered or approved, according to the MLIT. In particular, an increasing number of applications have been made with the ministry in the last few years. As of the end of 2013, some applications were even still under review or had not been reviewed yet. In addition, inquiries are being made almost daily by those intending to submit applications. As these factors show, there is no sign of slowing down among Japanese freighters planning to begin operations in the NVOCC and forwarding market.
Among the 49 new NVOCCs, 21 (16 Japanese and five others) were registered as Class I operators, which are responsible for port-to-port services, while the remaining 28 (20 Japanese and eight others) were approved as Class II operators, which are engaged in door-to-door services. In total, there were 36 new Japanese NVOCCs and 13 new overseas NVOCCs.
