Imabari, the Exporter of Ships Around the World
Half of the world's ships are built in Japan, and a large number of dockyards 
are concentrated in cities along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, including 
Imabari industrial district in Ehime. Being one of the main industries of the 
prefecture, shipbuilding in Ehime has contributed greatly to Ehime's export 
industry. The smaller dockyards produce domestic-route freighters and 
tankers and medium sized dockyards produce, in addition to domestic-route 
freighters and tankers, foreign-route freighters, general tankers and 
chemical tankers, serving routes to Southeast Asia. The larger dockyards 
build large vessels such as automobile transport vessels, refrigerated 
carriers, full-container ships, bulk carriers and tankers, to serve routes to 
the United States and Europe.