Business Talk with Captain Kenji Hongan, Technical Head Quarter Management Group Representative Manila, NYK Line
From the Sea to Space, and into the Future: NYK Line’s Innovation Strategy Driving the World with the Ocean at Its Core
NYK Line (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha)
Captain, Technical Head Quarter Management Group Representative Manila
Captain Kenji Hongan
With 140 years of history, NYK Line continues to honor its tradition while boldly venturing into new frontiers, expanding beyond shipping into logistics, finance, space exploration, and renewable energy. This time, we spoke with Captain Kenji Hongan, a licensed captain of large vessels who currently oversees a network of more than 10,000 seafarers in the Philippines. He is at the forefront of talent development and new business initiatives, and he shared with us his insights on how opportunities from the sea continue to expand into new horizons.
Philippine Primer:
Could you tell us about the main operations of NYK Line?
Captain Hongan:
NYK Line Group, now in its 140th year, is a leading company in the global shipping industry. We currently operate about 800 vessels worldwide. While our roots are in maritime transport, we have since expanded into comprehensive logistics services, spanning sea, land, and air, through our core subsidiary, Yusen Logistics.
In recent years, we have also taken on new challenges in the field of space. In partnership with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), we are working on a project to launch rockets from vessels positioned near the equator. This approach leverages the Earth’s rotation to reduce energy requirements for launch. The project also explores recovering and reusing rockets at sea, lowering costs and opening doors for future applications in weather observation and information gathering.
Philippine Primer:
Can you tell us more about your operations in the Philippines?
Captain Hongan:
We began in the Philippines through ship agency services, in partnership with TDG, one of the largest conglomerates. In 2026, we will celebrate our 50th year in the country. Today, the core of our Philippine business is seafarer training and deployment
Currently, over 10,000 Filipino seafarers belong to the NYK Group. Our largest seafarer deployment company here is NYK-FIL Ship Management, with about 7,000 members, along with other firms like IOTC and MOT Barko.
Globally, there are about 1.5 million seafarers working on foreign-flagged ships, and Filipinos account for around 300,000, or 20% of that total, making the Philippines one of the largest suppliers of seafarers worldwide.
Filipino seafarers bring many strengths: English proficiency for smooth communication, a bright and adaptable personality that thrives in multicultural “mixed-crew” environments, and a natural ability to foster a positive atmosphere even in the confined space of a ship. With the country’s strong support system for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), the Philippines has become an ideal base for seafarer deployment.
While the typical work cycle is “six months onboard, three months off,” there is a growing shift toward shorter contracts and better work-life balance. In response, NYK is not only improving onboard conditions and flexible work arrangements but also focusing on raising the overall quality of seafarers.
One major initiative is NTMA (NYK-TDG Maritime Academy), which I became involved with when I started working in the Philippines. This merchant marine academy was jointly established by NYK and the TDG Group to develop senior-level officers. To date, more than 1,600 students have graduated, with the first batch now serving as captains and chief engineers.
NTMA also introduced a “Study Now, Pay Later” system, allowing students to repay tuition from their future salaries, thus opening opportunities for those from modest financial backgrounds. With 7,000 applicants vying for only 140 annual slots, the school is highly competitive. In recent years, we have also welcomed female cadets to promote gender equality, and we will continue to nurture talent who can thrive both in the Philippines and on the global stage.
Philippine Primer:
Can you tell us more about MarCoPay?
Captain Hongan:
Launched in 2019, MarCoPay is a fast-growing mobile remittance platform designed to address the risks and high costs associated with cash salary payments for seafarers.
Through MarCoPay, seafarers can easily remit money to their families from onboard, at lower transaction and exchange fees. This has gained overwhelming support, especially from Filipino seafarers. Today, more than 60 companies beyond NYK also use our service.
Recently, we also acquired Kadmos, a German platform for multinational seafarer remittances, enabling us to extend secure financial services globally. Our vision is to build a financial platform trusted by seafarers worldwide.
Beyond remittance, MarCoPay has evolved into a broader financial ecosystem—offering loans, insurance, and collaborative promotions with companies in the Philippines. We are also preparing to introduce asset-building support, helping improve the quality of life for seafarers and their families.
Philippine Primer:
What drives NYK’s ability to generate new businesses, and what are your plans moving forward?
Captain Hongan:
NYK has a corporate culture rooted in openness and ideas that originate from the field. When developing new businesses, we make it a point to start with issues faced on the ground.
For example, MarCoPay came from seafarers’ challenges with inefficient cash-based salaries. Our space initiative, on the other hand, stems from applying our shipping expertise to transport rockets to equatorial waters. We always expand from our core strengths.
We also foster employee growth through programs like the NYK Digital Academy, a training system open to all ages and job types. It empowers employees to create new businesses, and several ideas from this program are already being commercialized. Although our headquarters isn’t very large, we operate with agility and flexibility, where each person takes responsibility and moves proactively. This creates fertile ground for ideas to take shape.
I believe our greatest strength lies in “genba-ryoku”, our field-based capability to thoroughly pursue efficiency and quality while addressing real-world issues. In the Philippines, for instance, as population growth outpaces production capacity, we see opportunities to reduce inefficiencies in logistics and provide high-quality services like cold chain solutions, thereby contributing to solving social challenges.
By applying the Japanese value of eliminating waste and bringing it into logistics operations, we aim to support sustainable societies in emerging markets like the Philippines while continuing to deliver NYK’s unique logistics solutions worldwide.
Profile
Born in Okayama Prefecture in 1975, Captain Hongan graduated from the Department of Navigation at Kobe University of Maritime Sciences (formerly Kobe Mercantile Marine University). He joined NYK Line in 1998 and began his career at sea as a captain and navigator, spending a total of about seven years in onboard service. His career later brought him to international postings in Singapore and the Philippines, and he now serves as Country Head in Manila, where he oversees NYK Group companies and leads both established operations and new business initiatives.
Hobbies: Jogging (about 2 km every morning around Greenbelt, Makati); golf.
Motto: “Illuminate your corner of the world.” I strive to give my best in any role, big or small, with pride and responsibility.
For more information about NYK Line,
visit www.nykfil.com.ph. https://www.nyk.com/english/
