The Nagoya Port Authority was established by Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya City in 1951. Regulated by the Port and Harbor Law, the Nagoya Port Authority is the port administrator responsible for planning, constructing, and improving port infrastructure and facilities; maintaining and managing the port area and facilities to assure efficient operations; and conducting public works required for use of the port. Private interests provide stevedoring services, preserve the water surface, and manage intra-harbor traffic in the Port of Nagoya.

Nagoya Port Building

Photo by EXECUTOR

The modern Port of Nagoya opened for international trade in late 1907, and today, it has trade partnerships with about 150 countries. The biggest port in Japan for cargo throughput, the Port of Nagoya handles all types of cargo. It is one of Japan's five major ports (with Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Kobe), handling about 10% of the country's total trade value and accounting for some 76% of Japan's trade surplus. The Port of Nagoya is the first automobile exporting port in the country, exporting about 1.4 million finished automobiles each year.

In 2008, the Port of Nagoya handled a record 218 million tons of cargo, including 138 million tons of international trade, with growing exports in automobile parts, industrial machinery, and rubber products and increasing imports of liquefied natural gas and ore. The Port of Nagoya handled over 46.5 million tons of containerized cargo in 2.6 million TEUs, almost equally divided between exports and imports.

The Port of Nagoya served a total of over 33.9 thousand vessels in 2011, including 8.9 thousand ocean-going vessels (of which more than 4.5 thousand were container ships), and 25.2 coastal vessels. Of the total 186.3 million tons of cargo, 129.5 million tons was international cargo, and 56.8 million tons was domestic cargo. International cargoes handled by the Port of Nagoya included 80.7 million tons of imports and 48.8 million tons of exports. Handling a total of more than 2.6 million TEUs of containerized cargo in 2011, the Port of Nagoya handled over 2.5 million TEUs of international containers and 150.9 thousand TEUs of domestic containers.

In 2011, the major exports leaving the Port of Nagoya were completed automobiles and automobile parts, industrial machinery, steel materials, and rubber products. The Port of Nagoya's main trade partners that received those exports were China, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE. The Port of Nagoya received imports that included liquefied natural gas, iron ore, crude oil, coal, and clothing. The Port of Nagoya received these goods from Australia, China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

The Port of Nagoya is approached through three major channels. The East Channel is 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) long, from 500 to 610 meters (1640 to 2001 feet) wide, and 15 meters (49.2) deep. The West Channel is 8.4 kilometers (5.2 miles) long, from 350 to 400 meters (1148 to 1312 feet) wide, and from 12-15 meters (39.4 to 49.2 feet) deep. The Port of Nagoya's North Channel is five kilometers (3.1 miles) long, 200-400 meters (656 to 1312 feet) wide, and from 10-12 meters (32.8 to 39.4 feet) deep.

Horikawa River

Photo by Gnsin

There are three canals in the Port of Nagoya. The Nakagawa Canal is 8.4 kilometers (5.2 miles) long, from 35 to 63 (115 to 207 feet) meters wide, and 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) deep. The Hon-Kawa Canal is 10.1 kilometers (6.3 miles) long, 17 meters (55.8 feet) wide, and 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) deep. The Nakagawa Canal is almost 5.7 kilometers (3.5 miles) long, from 35 to 63 (115 to 207 feet) meters wide, and 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) deep.

The Port of Nagoya contains a total of 290 berths (with a depth of 4.5 meters and over) with a total length of more than 34.7 kilometers (21.6 miles). Of those 290 berths, 127 are public berths, 154 are private berths, and nine are owned and operated by Public Corporation, NCB, Tobishima Pier South Side. The 127 public berths in the Port of Nagoya are distributed at 15 piers with a total length of 15.8 kilometers (9.8 miles).

The Port of Nagoya also contains 278.5 hectares of warehouses, 53.2 hectares of sheds, 74.0 hectares of cargo-handling yards, 22.5 hectares of coal yards, 234.7 hectares of timber yards, and 352.7 hectares of open storage yards. The Nagoya Port Authority operates 15.5 hectares of sheds and 74 hectares of cargo-handling yards, while the remaining storage areas in the Port of Nagoya are operated by private interests. The Port Authority operates 212.5 hectares of the timber yards and 9.8 hectares of the open storage.

• Container terminals

The Port of Nagoya's four container terminals cover a total area of 146.2 hectares and contain 12 berths with a total length of 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) with depths from 10 to 15 meters. They have combined box capacity for 71.3 thousand TEUs and throughput capacity for a total of over 2.1 million TEUs. They also contain a total 975 reefer plugs.

There are three public container terminals at the Port of Nagoya's Tobishima Pier. With throughput capacity for over 493 thousand TEUs, the Tobishima Pier South Container Terminal in the Port of Nagoya covers an area of 22.5 hectares. It has two container berths that total 700 meters (2296 feet) in length with alongside depth of 15 meters (49.2 feet). The South Terminal has yard capacity for over 15.9 thousand TEUs, 140 reefer plugs, and throughput capacity for 388.4 thousand TEUs. The Tobishima South Terminal is equipped with five gantry cranes with crane outreach of 16 to 17 rows. The Port of Nagoya's Tobishima Pier South Container Terminal is used primarily for large container vessels on the North America, Europe, and Australia routes. The Tobishima Pier South Container Terminal is operated by Mitsubishi Logistics, Asahi Unyu, Nippon Express, Mitsui Soko, Kamigumi, Fujitrans Corporation, Meiko Trans, Isewan Terminal, and Tokai Kyowa.

The Port of Nagoya's Tobishima Pier North Container Terminal contains three berths with a total length of 620 meters (2034 feet) and depths from 10 to 12 meters (32.8 to 39.4 feet). Covering 17 hectares, the North Terminal has yard capacity for 6148 TEUs, and its reefer yard can support 220 TEUs. The terminal has 110 reefer plugs and throughput capacity for over 260 thousand TEUs. The Tobishima Pier North Terminal has four gantry cranes with outreach of 13 rows.

Terminal operators for the public Tobishima Pier North Container Terminal in the Port of Nagoya include Mitsubishi Logistics, Asahi Unyu, Nippon Express, Mitsui Soko, Kamigumi, Fujitrans Corporation, Meiko Trans, Isewan Terminal, and Tokai Kyowa. The Tobishima Pier North Container Terminal in the Port of Nagoya is used mostly for large container vessels serving on Singapore, Bangkok, and Taiwan.

Japanese icebreaker Shirase

Japanese icebreaker Shirase (AGB-5002)was the antarctic exploration ship which sailed from 1982 to 2008.
Photo by Gnsin

Opening with one berth in 2005, the earthquake-resistant Tobishima Pier South Side Container Terminal in the Port of Nagoya was developed as a model super hub port. The second berth began operations in late 2008. With capacity to accommodate today's super-large container ships to 100 thousand DWT, the Port of Nagoya's Tobishima Pier South Side Container Terminal has yard capacity for nearly 18.6 thousand TEUs, and it includes a reefer yard for 486 TEUs and 240 reefer plugs. Berths TS1 and TS2 are 750 meters (2461 feet) long and have alongside depth of 16 meters (52.5 feet).

The Port of Nagoya's deep-draft Toshiba South Side Container Terminal covers 36.2 hectares, and it has box capacity for almost 18.6 thousand TEUs. It also contains 240 reefer plugs and has throughput capacity for over 320.7 thousand TEUs. The Port of Nagoya's Tobishima Pier South Side Container Terminal is equipped with six 65-ton Mitsubishi gantry cranes with outreach of 22 rows. The terminal operator for the Port of Nagoya's Tobishima South Side Container Terminal is Tobishima Container Berth Company Limited, and the terminal is used primarily to serve large container vessels on the North American and European routes.

The Port of Nagoya's Nabeta Pier Container Terminal began operating with one berth in 1997. Second and third earthquake-resistant high-standard berths were added in 2001 and 2012. Nagoya United Container Terminal Company Limited, a joint enterprise of nine harbor transportation companies, is the terminal operator for this Port of Nagoya public terminal. The terminal can accommodate one 50 thousand DWT container vessel.

The Nabeta Pier Container Terminal's three berths in the Port of Nagoya total 985 meters (3132 feet) long with alongside depth of 14 meters (45.9 feet). The Nabeta terminal covers 41.6 hectares and has yard capacity for over 26.9 thousand TEUs. It includes 296 reefer plugs and has throughput capacity for 815.7 thousand TEUs. The Nabeta Container Terminal is equipped with six gantry cranes with outreach of 17 to 18 rows. The Port of Nagoya's Nabeta Pier Container Terminal serves vessels on the Korea and China routes operated by regional shipping lines.

The Nagoya Container Berth Company Limited (NCB) was established in 1970 as a joint venture between the Nagoya Port Authority and Japan's leading shipping companies. The company is tasked with building, maintaining, and managing container berths. The NCB Container Terminal in the Port of Nagoya has three container-handling berths with total berthing distance of 900 meters (almost three thousand feet) with alongside depth of 12 meters (39.4 feet) that can accommodate vessels to 35 thousand DWT. The terminal covers an area of 28.9 hectares.

The Port of Nagoya Berth Company Container Terminal has yard capacity for over 10.2 thousand TEUs, includes 189 reefer plugs, and has annual throughput capacity for almost 301.3 TEUs. The NCB Container Terminal is equipped with six gantry cranes (two each with 51-, 53-, and 55-ton capacity) with outreach of 13, 16, and 17 rows, respectively. Japanese shipping companies that are shareholders in NCB and their partners use the NCB Container Terminal to serve their routes to North America's West Coast, Australia, Singapore, Bangkok, Indonesia, and South America.

• Bulk and breakbulk terminals

The Port of Nagoya's Shionagi Pier has six berths handling coal and steel products. The Shionagi Pier's Public Berths 27-29, handle coal cargoes. The berths are 405 meters (1329 feet) long with alongside depth of 14.6 meters (47.9 feet), and they can accommodate vessels to from two to 15 thousand DWT. The three remaining berths at the Shionagi Pier in the Port of Nagoya handle both coal and steel products and have total berthing space of 375 meters (1230 feet) with alongside depths of 15 and 20 feet (49.2 and 65.6 feet). These Port of Nagoya berths can accommodate vessels from 700 to 15 thousand DWT.

Eleven Port of Nagoya piers contain 30 public berths with a total length of 4200 meters that specialize in handling general cargoes. The Port of Nagoya's Garden Pier has two berths that handle general cargo and passengers. These berths have total berthing distance of 705 meters (2.3 thousand feet) with alongside depth of 20 meters (65.6 feet) can accommodate vessels from 700 to 15 thousand DWT.

With mooring capacity for 18 vessels, ten of the Port of Nagoya's Kinjo Pier berths are dedicated to handling general cargo. The berths total almost two kilometers (1.2 miles) in length with alongside depths from ten to 20 meters (32.8 feet to 65.6 feet). The Kinjo Pier general cargo berths in the Port of Nagoya can accommodate vessels from two to 15 thousand DWT.

Kinjo Pier in the Port of Nagoya also has five berths that handle both general cargo and automobiles. With capacity for vessels from 50 to 15 thousand DWT, these berths total 1280 meters (4.2 thousand feet) in length with alongside depth of 20 meters (65.6 feet). Four of the berths at the Kinjo Pier in the Port of Nagoya handle heavy cargoes. These berths have capacity for vessels from ten to 20 thousand DWT, and the berths for heavy cargoes total 800 meters (2.6 thousand feet) in length with alongside depths of 22.5 and 20 meters (73.8 to 65.6 feet).

Nagoya Dome
viewed from Midland Square

Photo by Chris 73

Handling general cargo, cotton, and grain, the Inaei Pier in the Port of Nagoya has seven berths totaling 1.2 kilometers (3.9 thousand feet) in length. Two berths handle general cargoes and cotton. These Port of Nagoya berths are a total 320 meters (over 1.0 thousand feet) in length with alongside depth of 20 meters (65.6 feet) and can accommodate vessels to eight thousand DWT.

With capacity for vessels to 15 thousand DWT, three Port of Nagoya Inaei Pier berths handle grain. These berths total 540 meters (almost 1.8 thousand feet) in length with alongside depth of 20 meters and can accommodate vessels to 15 thousand DWT. Two berths at the Inaei Pier in the Port of Nagoya handle general cargoes and automobiles. These berths have total berthing distance of 340 meters (1.1 thousand feet) with alongside depth of 20 meters and can handle vessels from 700 to 15 thousand DWT.

Also handling general cargoes, Sorami Pier Berths 50, 51, and 70 in the Port of Nagoya have mooring capacity for seven vessels. The Port of Nagoya's Sorami Pier has six berths, three of which handle general cargoes and three handle steel products. The general cargo berths have total berthing distance of 600 meters (2.1 thousand feet) with alongside depths from 12 to 20 meters (39.4 to 65.6 feet) and can accommodate vessels from 700 to 15 thousand DWT. The three Sorami Pier berths handling steel products in the Port of Nagoya have total berthing distance of 540 meters (1.8 thousand feet) with alongside depths from 10 to 15 meters (32.8 to 49.2 feet) and can berth vessels from 700 to two thousand DWT.

The Yatomi Pier in the Port of Nagoya has four berths that handle lumber, general cargo, and automobiles. Two Yatomi Pier berths with total length of 260 meters (853 feet) with alongside depth of 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) can accommodate vessels of five thousand DWT carrying lumber and general cargo. Two berths at the Yatomi Pier in the Port of Nagoya, handling general cargo and automobiles, have total berthing distance of 510 meters (1673 feet) with alongside depth of 12 meters (39.4 feet). These Port of Nagoya berths can accommodate vessels from five thousand to 30 thousand DWT.

The Port of Nagoya's Yokosuka Pier Berth 86 has seven mooring points for 700 DWT vessels carrying building materials. They are a total 420 meters long with alongside depth of 4.5 meters (14.8 feet). The Showa Pier in the Port of Nagoya has two public berths that specialize in fertilizer and chemical cargoes. Berths 40 and 41 are 240 meters (787 feet) long with alongside depth of 7.3 meters (24 feet), and they can each handle vessels to five thousand DWT.

The Port of Nagoya's Kitahama Pier handles light industrial products. It is 240 meters (787 feet) long with alongside depth of 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) and can accommodate vessels to 30 thousand DWT. The Oe Pier in the Port of Nagoya has two berths that handle general cargo and heavy products. These berths are a total of 398 meters (1306 feet) long with alongside depth of 20 and 22.5 meters (65.6 and 73.8 feet) and can accommodate vessels to 15 thousand DWT.

Supporting a facility for small oil tankers, the Shiomi Pier in the Port of Nagoya has 20 berths, each with berthing distance of 200 meters (656 feet) with alongside depth of 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) and can accommodate vessels to 700 DWT. The Funami Pier in the Port of Nagoya has six berths for vessels carrying sand and stone. These Port of Nagoya berths are 991 meters (almost 3.3 thousand feet) long with alongside depth of 15 meters (49.2 feet) that can accommodate vessels from 700 to two thousand DWT. Two berths at the Port of Nagoya's Ote Pier handle general cargo. These two Port of Nagoya berths total 260 meters (853 feet) with alongside depth of 10 meters (32.8 feet), and they can accommodate vessels to five thousand DWT.

• Ro/Ro terminals

The Port of Nagoya's hinterland is home to Japan's highly-productive automobile industry. In addition to the almost two million passenger cars, buses, and trucks exported through the Port of Nagoya each year, the port also exports over 113.5 thousand motorbikes. Two car terminals operated by an auto manufacturer are located at the Port of Nagoya's Shimpo Pier, which contains a 38-thousand-car capacity yard, an inspection facility, and a test course.

The Port of Nagoya's Kinjo Pier contains 11 berths dedicated to automobiles that can accommodate vessels from 15 to 35 thousand DWT. Automobile-handling berths at the Kinjo Pier in the Port of Nagoya total 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) in length with alongside depths from 22.5 to 20 meters (73.8 to 65.6 feet).

Two berths at the Inaei Pier in the Port of Nagoya handle both general cargoes and automobiles. With total berthing distance of 340 meters (1.1 thousand feet) and alongside depth of 20 meters, these Port of Nagoya berths can handle vessels from 700 to 15 thousand DWT. The Port of Nagoya's Yatomi Pier, Berths 6 and 7, are 510 meters (1673 feet) long with alongside depth of 12 meters (39.4 feet) and can accommodate vessels to 30 thousand DWT carrying general cargoes and automobiles.

Ferris Wheel - Port of Nagoya

Photo by Gnsin

• Cruise terminals

The Garden Pier in the Port of Nagoya has two berths for passenger vessels. Berth 3 is 210 meters long with alongside depth of 10 meters, and it can handle vessels up to 20 thousand gross tons. Berth 5 is 65 meters long and 4.5 meters deep, and it can handle vessels to from 500 to 20 thousand gross tons.

The Public Corporation operates the Ferry Terminal in the Port of Nagoya and the Nabeta Container Terminal. Berths V1, V2, and V3 serve the Port of Nagoya Ferry Terminal, handling both passengers and fresh food, has a total length of 663 meters of berths and alongside depth of 7.5 meters. The three berths can accommodate vessels of seven thousand (1 berth) and ten thousand (2 berths) gross tons.

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