On 25 February 2013 Namura Shipbuilding acquired AIP (Approval in Principle) from NKK regarding the MIBS (Minimal Ballast water Ship) VLCC project, for which the company has been working for years together with Shipbuilding Research Centre of Japan and with the support of Japanese Government. This tanker design reduces the weight of ballast water required by about 65 percent compared with a conventional hull form.