Skip to main content

WAKO ・ わこう Coastal Car Carrier 内航自動車運搬船

WAKO is the 100th Entry!!! Yay!!! While this RoRo coastal car carrier has been seen sailing thru the Kanmon Straits many times, it is the first time to photograph it. Seeing the HONDA logo on the side brings The Beach Boys song 'Little Honda' to mind. 

WAKO わこう 内航自動車運搬船

Wako's home port is Fukuoka and the car carrier appears to exclusively transport autos to and from Japanese ports like Yokkaichi, Funabashi, etc. One can't help but wonder what models of HONDA vehicles it is carrying. Please let me wonder while I listen to Little Honda and pick up some good vibrations. Musical ship spotting.


Built by Shinkochi Heavy Industries in 2016, Wako has a loading capacity of 508 cars. Stealing the ship when it is fully loaded would be more efficient than stealing 508 cars individually. Plus, the keys would probably be in the cars. Somehow, this occurring seems highly unlikely. Japan is very safety.

Wako is a Japanese RoRo car carrier for Honda - Kanmon Strait 2024
Wako is a Japanese RoRo car carrier for Honda - Kanmon Strait 2024  

Vessel Name: WAKO ・ わこう
Length: 118.03 meters
Width: 16.6 meters
IMO: 9774044
Flag: Japan
MMSI: 431008817
Type: Vehicles Carrier / RoRo / Coastal Car Carrier
Loading Capacity: 508 vehicles
Call Sign: JD4065
Gross Tonnage: 2992 tons
Deadweight: 2329 tons
Home Port: Fukuoka
Built: 2016.11.01.
Builder: Shin Kurushima Kochijyuko Co., Ltd. / 新高知重工㈱
Owner: Saito Shipping Co., Ltd. / 斎藤海運 (株)、 福岡県

Since this is a "coastal" car carrier, perhaps its construction and specs are different from other automobile carrier cargo ships? Oh, the questions that arise just from watching at a cool ship like Wako as it sails thru the Kanmon Straits of Japan...

Photographed by Ship Freakazoid on October 20, 2024 with an Olympus E520 DSLR equipped with Zuiko 150mm lens. 

Popular posts from this blog

A SUWA - Brand New Container Ship in the Kanmon Strait

  The brand spanking new container ship A SUWA (Flag of Hong Kong) sailed thru the Kanmon Straits of Japan on a lovely Japanese autumn day (November 11, 2024) and was filmed with an antique JVC Everio video camera (Konica Minolta 54x lens) by a sissy sicko with no credentials known as Ship Freakazoid. More footage from ship spotting the vessels passing by Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki Japan can be seen on this YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ShipFreakazoid Like, subscribe, and comment should you so please... A SUWA It was nice to see such a new and colorful container ship pass by the glorious coastline of Garden Paradise Kitakyushu. The vessel A SUWA sails under the Flag of Hong Kong and was built in 2024 (also known as the year DJT won his 3rd str8 prez elexion ( ^)o(^ )). General cargo ship, container ship and tanker in Kanmon Straits The Kanmon Straits are always busy and provide a beautiful sight when several vessels can be seen entering the strait from the west side. Th...

せとぎり JS Setogiri DD-156 護衛艦 Japanese Destroyer JMSDF

せとぎり JS Setogiri DD-156 護衛艦    SETOGIRI is a Destroyer of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). It recently passed thru the Kanmon Strait and was photographed from Moji, Kitakyushu, Japan with an Olympus e 520 DSLR camera equipped with Zuiko 150mm lens. The ship and crew protect Japan. We wish them a Happy New Year in 2022. The Japanese Navy has awesome curry and they serve it every Friday so December 31, 2021 will be their last naval curry meal of the year. Their first curry in Year of the Tiger will be on January 7, 2022.  Type / Class: Destroyer, DD; Asagiri Class  Builder: Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Uraga, Japan  STATUS: Laid down: March 9, 1987  Launched: September 12, 1988  Commissioned: February 14, 1990  Homeport: Ominato, Aomori, Japan Specifications: Length: 137 meters (449 feet 6 inches) Beam: 14,6 meters (47 ft 11 in) Draft: 4,5 meters (14 ft 9 in) Displacement: 3500 tons (standard) / 4900 tons (full load) Speed: 30 kno...

FATA MORGANA - Ship sailing in the sky near Kitakyushu Japan

Alright, so check this out!  FATA MORGANA is this wild optical illusion that happens when you're standing on land, looking out over the ocean, and you see a ship that looks like it's floating above the horizon. It's not magic, though—it’s science at work. Fata Morgana - Ship sailing in the sky as viewed from Kitakyushu  Here’s the lowdown. The air above the ocean is usually colder than the air higher up in the atmosphere. But sometimes, you get a temperature inversion where the air closer to the water is actually warmer than the air above it. This temperature difference makes light bend or "refract." So instead of light traveling in a straight line, it curves and can make things appear in places where they shouldn’t be. Kind of like when you’re staring into a glass of water and the spoon looks all weird. It’s the same principle. Fata Morgana - Cargo ship appears to be sailing in the sky Now, when you're on land looking out at the ocean, and you spot a ship tha...