Ken Inoue

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This transcript is based on a video-recorded interview deposited at MarE3, JAMSTEC (Yokosuka, Japan).

The transcripts of the research project Oral Histories of Scientific Ocean Drilling are polished representations of oral conversations, and are intended solely for the purpose of preserving and documenting personal accounts and memories. They are not a literary product, and are not intended to exhibit literary qualities.

The primary goal of this transcript is to capture the spoken words and memories of the interviewee as accurately as possible. Minor editing and polishing works have been performed to enhance clarity and readability while maintaining the authenticity of spoken discourse, including non-standard grammar, inconsistencies, repetitions, and pauses. The interviewee has been allowed to review and edit the transcript, and they have approved the publication of this version before posting it.

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Please cite the interview as:

Interview of Ken Inoue by Beatriz Martinez-Rius and Lisa Smith on 2024 September 26, DV Chikyu, Japan. [link]

Beatriz Martinez-Rius (BMR): This is Beatriz Martinez-Rius, historian of science at JAMSTEC. I’m with Captain Ken Inoue. Thank you. Can you please introduce yourself?

Ken Inoue (KI): My name is Ken Inoue, and I’m the Captain in Chikyu. I come from Japan; I’m Japanese. I have worked offshore, for the oil and gas industry, for about twenty-seven years. During that time, I worked on several rigs – not drillships: Semi-sub (semi-submersible) rigs, jack up rigs… In so many other countries. Almost twenty countries, like West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Middle East, Asia… And last year, I returned to Japan to start working on the Chikyu as its captain, from December last year.

BMR: Why did you go into the offshore? What attracted you about this this job?

KI: At first, I wanted to study navigation. And then, once we finish Navigation at university, we choose going to cargo ships or to the offshore industry. But in Japan there’s not so much work for the offshore industry. Normally, people choose cargo ships. But, I wanted to go offshore, I thought that it was going to be more exciting, a different kind of life. In a cargo ship, you are normally nine months on and then get three months of vacation. But this [Chikyu], is four weeks on and four weeks off. For my life plans, four weeks-four weeks it’s the best (laughs). 

BMR: In which area did you grow up?

KI: Kobe. Kobe is a historical port. I grew up near Kobe, in the mountains on the northern side. I couldn’t see the sea. I just thought about the sea, ships… I then graduated in navigation at the University of Tokyo. 

BMR: And then you started in the offshore oil industry. How did you learn the tasks and the things you had to do onboard?

KI: I started working at 22 years old. My first operation was in West Africa, and I went to different types of Rigs. The first one was the HAKURYU-5, a semi-submersible rig in the west of Africa. Of course, we were a new generation, the youngest, and as a first step we went to study there. But at that time, my handicap was English. Because we, Japanese people, are not so good at English. Even when working in West Africa, these countries are not English speaking countries. They speak Portuguese, French… That means that I first wanted to study communication. It was very important for me, as a first step. And then, after getting better at communication, I could skill up… Of course, I could read manuals or get experience, but I first wanted to improve that skill for myself. 

BMR: So you first focused on getting better at English. 

KI: Yes, because Japan is not deployed offshore because there’s no oil and gas around the coast of Japan. So, for learning about oil and gas offshore, the technical manuals are normally in English. If we don’t understand English, we cannot improve our knowledge. So, that’s very important for us. 

BMR: I imagine that, at 22 years old, you were not the captain of the rig.

KI: No, the first step is being like a roustabout. 

BMR: Can you explain to me the different positions you occupied?

KI: The first is roustabout, and next you move to officer or operator. And then, in my time, sometimes you could go for training in the drilling section. Because if in the future I become the captain or Barge master, I would need to understand the drilling section in order to manage it. So, for some time, one or two years, I just studied offshore drilling. And then, once the training was finished, I was ready to become the Barge master. Barge master means semi-sub rigs and jack up rigs, and every few years you change to a different rig. After that, we became rig movers. A rig mover is in control of the displacement of rigs from one to another location. I was Rig mover for two or three years, and then I moved to working at the Head Office. Offshore wind power, and general manager of Jack up rig… And then, I moved here, to Chikyu. 

So, for the new generations, I would like that they not only work for Chikyu, but also that they have experience in other kinds of vessels or on land – that’s a very good experience for the future.

BMR: From what you explained, I understand that you were in JDC before. So, could you please explain what JDC and MQJ are for someone who doesn’t know about this world? 

KI: JDC is Japan Drilling Company, it is an oil and gas industry contractor. And Mantle Quest Japan, or MQJ, is not only JDC or NYK (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, a shipping company). NYK grouped with JDC, and then we got MQJ. MQJ was organized only for Chikyu, for operating it for JAMSTEC. So, JAMSTEC is the owner of Chikyu but we work for its operation, management, and maintenance. So far, MQJ provides the main crew for Chikyu. Besides JDC and NYK there are so many different companies working on Chikyu, but they make good teamwork.

BMR: Did you know about MQJ when you started in JDC?

KI: No, I didn’t know about it. 

BMR: It’s okay. I was just thinking if the workers at JDC know that there is also scientific ocean drilling, not only industrial. So, why did you decide to come to Chikyu?

KI: I was working in the normal business for the oil and gas industry, but then I still wanted to step up. The experience of working for oil and gas on a semi-sub or jack up rig, was already done. And being the General Manager, that was also already done. But I wanted to work on the Chikyu as a drillship Captain. 

And also, because Chikyu is different from the oil and gas industry. I’m happy now, because Chikyu was created for offshore deployment and research, not to find oil and gas – it is sometimes used for the industry, for money. But it is meant to be for research deployment. This is the first time I go for scientific research, and it’s interesting.

BMR: How does it feel being the Captain? This is the biggest responsibility…

KI: Yeah. So, as Captain, the most important thing is safety for the crew and for the ship. It is very, very important. And then, environment protection, as well. Of course, being the captain sometimes carries a lot of stress. I have to make decisions, but also I want to improve team work, communication with the crew, and having the crew working happily for the ship. This is important, as well.

BMR: From your perspective, is there any difference in the work, the life onboard, etc. between working in an oil and gas rig and working on Chikyu?

KI: It’s almost the same. Working 12 hours and then, 4 weeks in, 4 weeks off. The life schedule is the same. But, of course, the goals are not the same. This is for research, and we have scientists here. But the goal of oil and gas is to find oil or work over for business. This is totally different. 

About my work, on the marine side… Chikyu is a drillship. Before, I had worked in a semi-sub and that’s a totally different operation. But working offshore is basically the same.

BMR: How does a normal day look for you, as the captain of Chikyu? 

KI: Normally, I wake up at 5 o’clock, take breakfast, and come to the bridge, where I  ask the officer what’s the situation. Then, we check the weather and prepare for the meetings of the day. I was just counting meetings, and I maybe have six to eight meetings every day. Of course, meetings are very important for face-to-face communication and to share information. Normally, my work time is 6 to 18h. But sometimes, due to emergencies like if there’s really bad weather, like the last time, I wake up. Sometimes I stay awake 24 hours. But this is my responsibility. And then, I always keep good communication with the OIM [Operation Installation Manager]. We share the information and discuss, think and decide together how to proceed. For the crew, for the operations… That is very important.

BMR: What kind of decisions do you have to take, as captain? Since I don’t know how the ship works, I know that you have a lot of responsibility, but I would like to know some examples of decisions where you are the one who has the last word. 

KI: So many kinds of decisions… For example, in this weather, should we continue or stop operations? Or, if some person is injured in an accident. Of course we will first contact the nurse, but if she cannot treat it, we have to call the Head Office, call a helicopter… So many kinds of decisions.

BMR: How do you feel about it?

KI: At the moment, I can already control it well. Before, sometimes the feeling was very stressful. But yeah, now I can control that.

BMR: It sounds like a lot of pressure. I would like to ask you about the science. You arrived nine months ago, so this is your first international scientific operation, the first operation for IODP. So, I’d like to ask you what are your first impressions, your first thoughts about having the scientists here, getting their data… you know, about this operation.

KI: I cannot understand the science totally, but my role is to support them. Of course, I’m in charge of the navigation and the marine department, but this is a work vessel, scientists’ vessel. So, if we start drilling or operations, I’m supporting them from behind. That’s important, because our target is scientists. Of course, I’m the captain, but we should be behind, supporting their work.

BMR: I understand. You don’t really need to go into detail on what they are studying, but you get an idea and provide them support for their work.

KI: Because, if everybody is happy, if the operation is a success, then I’m also happy for them. Because for me alone, for the moving vessel… We know how important it is for scientists, and we want to support them. Why are we now drilling here? Because the scientists requested it, sure.

BMR: Is this very different from the operations that you usually did for the industry?

KI: Of course the target is different; but in oil and gas, also, we move the rig, set it in a position, start drilling… My position and my department has the role of supporting the drilling crew, because I’ve always worked in the oil and gas industry offshore – not in a cargo ship. 

Lisa Smith (LS): When is your off period? Is there any other captain, or are you here for the whole expedition?

KI: Normally the captain is 4 weeks in, 4 weeks off. I have a back to back captain. Of course, our handover is normally half days, in which we overlap. I respect him, and he also respects me. Because if the captain changes and the decisions change, the crew gets confused. So, that’s very important. The captain changes, but the vector is the same vector. That’s very important for the crew’s safety, and the ship’s safety. So, we always keep good communication with the back to back captain. 

BMR: That’s a really interesting point for us, that the two captains don’t act as two, but as one – same direction, same goals. So how do you see the future of Chikyu? How do you see yourself, what do you expect for the next years of operations?

KI: We have already scheduled the next year. When we finish this operation, we have another operation. And next year, we will go to the drydock. And that time we will upgrade the DPS, the Dynamic Positioning System. The DPS is more than ten years old… it hasn’t changed since the ship was built. So, next year, upgrading. So far, everybody is happy. And then, for the next ten years, we won’t have problems for operating Chikyu.

LS: I’ve heard that the GPS system and the positioning system are very unique in Chikyu. Can you explain what makes them so unique? 

KI: It depends on the drillship, but normally the GPS is under American satellites, or Russian satellites… In this ship, we have a whole system of redundancy for backup. Another example, in a cargo vessel, we don’t need that much accuracy or a whole backup GPS. But here, the GPS should be redundant for quality and accuracy, so we have two, three or four. I have worked in Brazil, and there we used a different kind of positioning system. 

I actually was very happy working in Brazil. I was acting captain of a drillship. Brazilian people… everyday are happy, happy. Meetings were maybe 30 minutes long, but before the meeting – shaking hands, hugs, and kissing everyone (laughs). Maybe the entire meeting took one hour, because of the whole shaking hands, oh my god! (all laugh).

BMR: I imagine that for Japanese people this is a cultural shock

KI: Yes, and also they speak in Portuguese. I was the only Japanese person there. But it was very exciting and I had a really good experience there. Because I wanted to work in another country, with another crew, on another ship… Of course, it is very important to respect the religion. I was working for two or three years in Indonesia, and they are Muslim. And Muslim people will stop working for praying five times per day. On board there can be many religions, Christians, Buddhists… And it’s very important to respect them. Japanese do not have a strong religion – I, myself, do not profess any religion. But for working well, it is very important to respect the various religions of the crew working there.

BMR: Yes, I understand it. This is a very isolated and closed environment and that respect is important. And I also understand that is part of your role as captain to ensure that conflicts don’t happen. Well, thank you very much.

KI: Thank you.