Tsuneishi Iron Works Co., Ltd. (headquarters at 1083, Tsuneishi, Numakuma-cho, Fukuyama, Hiroshima; Masayuki Zaizen, president and CEO) announces the successful development of and pending patent application for a caisson-type tsunami shelter that can be constructed in urban or other suitable areas as an emergency shelter for protection against large-scale tsunamis or flooding.
The standard design for these structures is a 20-meter-long, 7.5-meter-wide, 3-meter-high caisson structure that is built of steel and capable of holding between 100 and 300 people. Size and other aspects of the structure can be modified to accommodate conditions at the building site, planned occupancy, and other parameters, thereby enabling the design to be optimized to the locality. These structures can be used either for temporary shelter or can be stocked with food and emergency supplies to serve as evacuation centers in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Alternately, these structures can be used to store materials and equipment in areas susceptible to flooding, thereby affording protection from water damage and enabling recovery efforts to start as soon as possible.

Sites where this type of shelter can help reduce casualties during a tsunami

• 1.  Parks and other public areas
• 2.  On the grounds of hospitals or schools
• 3.  Near ports, beaches, and at the mouths of large rivers
• 4.  Atop the roofs or balconies of buildings and other structures

・Corporate profile of Tsuneishi Iron Works Co., Ltd.

Tsuneishi Iron Works is a subsidiary of Tsuneishi Holdings Corporation, which specializes in the shipbuilding and maritime shipping industries. With factories in Japan, the Philippines, and China, Tsuneishi Iron Works supplies prefabricated hull modules, rudders, propeller shafts, and other component parts of stern structures as well as other outfitting projects to Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and other shipbuilders around the world. In addition, it also manufactures steel structures such as floating and fixed bridges.