In 2024, the amount of cargo transported on coastal vessels in Japan fell by 2.8% year-on-year to around 198 million tons, according to data from the Japan Federation of Coastal Shipping Associations. The decline was primarily due to reduced shipments of automobiles, cement, and oil and chemical products.

The drop in vehicle output, following scandals over faulty safety data, contributed to an 11% decrease in automobile shipments, totaling 44 million tons. Transportation of cement and feedstock materials, such as limestone, fell by 8% to 25 million tons and by 3% to 45.6 million tons, respectively.

Despite these declines, deliveries of coal and coke rose by 12% to 18.7 million tons, driven by increased demand from the power sector. Transportation volumes of steel products also increased by 4.3% to 36.4 million tons.

Operations of coastal tankers slowed due to technical problems at domestic refiners, leading to alternative demand for refined products. However, longer voyages to distant refineries resulted in an overall drop in shipping utilization. Shipments of lighter oil products, such as gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, and diesel, fell by 2% to 58.7 million kiloliters, despite government subsidies.

The expansion of renewable energy also impacted oil demand, with tanker deliveries of fuel oil dropping by 10% to 22.5 million kiloliters. Shipments of chemical products decreased by 8% to 7.2 million kiloliters, while deliveries of high-pressured liquids such as LPG and vinyl chloride monomer remained steady at around 6 million tons.

The survey covered 58 operators, accounting for more than 80% of total coastal shipping volumes.