Construction was ordered on 17 June 1939 by Kokusai Kisen K.K.. During construction, the ship was taken over by Osaka Shosen Kaisha. It was built by Harima Zosensho K.K. and was laid down and named Nana Maru on 16 April 1940. On 29 June, construction was finished and the ship started service between Japan and South Africa. Because of the war, the Japanese Imperial Navy requisitioned the ship on 21 September 1941 so that it could be used as a transport ship.
On 23 January 1942, during the Battle of Balikpapan, the Japanese troop convoy of which the Nana Maru was part, was attacked by Dutch aircraft in the Makassar Strait at 0.1667°N 118°W.[1] Brewster pilots 1st Lt. P.A. Hoyer and Sgt. A.E. Stoové of the 2-VLG-V squadron dropped their bombs upon the ship's deck. At 17:30 the captain ordered abandon ship, and at 21:00, after a large explosion, the Nana Maru sank to the bottom of the ocean.[2]