Naikai Shipbuilding Co.

The company was founded in October 1940 with its headquarters in Kobe as Setoda Dock Co., Ltd. and capital of 200,000 yen. At the time, when building a factory in Setoda Town, they searched for shallow waters with solid ground that could be used for reclamation work, and it is said that the area around the current No. 1 slipway (where there was a small island called Kinokojima that connects to the mainland at low tide) was chosen.

Later, in November 1944, they merged with Nakagiri Shipyard and Murakami Shipbuilding and Ironworks, which were also located in Kobe, to form Setoda Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. The following March, 1945, the Kobe headquarters and factory facilities were moved to Setoda Town to avoid war damage.

In January 2005, Naikai Zosen merged with Nichizo IMC Co., Ltd. to form the Innoshima Factory. This resulted in an increase in the workforce and an improvement in construction capacity, including the addition of large slipway, which has supported Naikai Zosen's «product mix» in both name and reality. Innoshima was once known as the «town of shipbuilding.» With the construction of new ships halted for 19 years, Naikai Zosen has begun work under a new structure.