NYK Line has appointed its first Indonesian captain of an LNG carrier.
Master Asep Dadang Kurniawan joined the Japanese group in 2002 and initially served on containerships and chemical tankers.
From 2008, he made the switch to LNG carriers, eventually becoming an experienced navigator.
He will now captain an unnamed vessel serving the Tangguh LNG project in the Indonesian province of West Papua.
"Since shipping for the Tangguh LNG project began in 2008, NYK has been working to foster high-quality Indonesian seafarers for this project," the company said.
NYK has had a long-term plan for training senior local crew members in expectation of "booming" LNG transport in Indonesia.
Through the NYK Maritime College, it has worked hard to appoint Indonesians to senior positions on "high-risk" ships, it said.
"The promotion of Asep Dadang Kurniawan to captain of an LNG carrier can be said to be a concrete result of this initiative," NYK added.
Excellent seafarers
"The group will continue to train excellent Indonesian seafarers and contribute to the development of the Tangguh LNG project and, by extension, the Indonesian maritime industry."
Kurniawan said: "In this moment I would like to say thank you to the company for giving me trust to become first Indonesian master on LNG ship.
"This is a big responsibility for me to be a master on LNG ship, but I will do my best to ensure safe operation. I hope the company will continue supporting me and give opportunity to other Indonesian officers."
Kurniawan works for NYK Shipmanagement, which was established in 2001 in Singapore.
Tangguh LNG involves liquefying natural gas produced in the Berau, Wiriagar and Muturi mining areas. It is shipped mainly to Japan, Mexico and South Korea.
Last year, NYK promoted its first master to be trained in-house since started its own programme in 2006.
Back then, it was the first Japanese owner to hire graduates who completed non-maritime, four-year university degrees to undergo extensive in-house training for positions on board vessels.
