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UN/LOCODE JPYOK · Japan · IMO-designated crew-change hub
Yokohama is one of 115 ports named in IMO Circular MSC.1/Circ.1636 as a designated crew-change hub. Ports made the list on the basis of accessible international airports, established agent networks, welfare-centre infrastructure, and — during the pandemic — visa-facilitation frameworks that allowed sign-on and sign-off crew to transit without lengthy quarantine. That combination continues to make these ports the practical corridors most seafarers move through today.
Nearest major airport for crew changes is Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND), roughly 17 km from the port. Confirm the exact terminal handover point with the ship's agent — many hubs have multiple terminals with different immigration processes.
Yokohama, Japan's principal commercial port, grants shore leave to seafarers with a seaman's book and a shore pass under Japan's standard short-term port-call procedure. Japan is not a Convention 185 signatory but operates a seafarer-friendly regime. Daikoku Pier and Honmoku Pier are the principal container berths. Mission to Seafarers Yokohama operates a welfare centre near the port with chaplaincy + transport. The Japanese-style welfare provision (with cultural overlay) is among the most generous in the world but quieter than the Anglo-Saxon variety.