Communications are the press relations consultancy for the Shipping and logistics industry
10th July 2017
| Present Position | Name | New Position(effective October 1, 2017) |
| Executive Officer | Takafumi Kido | Representative Director/President, Ocean Network Express Japan, Ltd. |
The responsibilities of Executive Officers scheduled on and after October 1, 2017 to be notified
7th July 2017
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) held a naming ceremony for the newly-built, very large liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier for Astomos Energy Corporation (Astomos Energy) at Sakaide Shipyard of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. on July 6, 2017.
The new vessel was given her name “CRYSTAL RIVER” by Mr. Osamu Masuda, President of Astomos Energy. The name was given with our hope that she will “crystalize” our ambition and promise to always provide safe navigation, and our wish for the prosperity of her voyages in the ever-growing seaborne LPG trading.
CRYSTAL RIVER will commence her service to Astomos Energy under a memorial first-ever time charter contract directly concluded between the two companies upon her delivery from the shipyard, which is expected to be on July 14, 2017.
Main Particulars of the Vessel:
| LOA | 299.90 m | Tank Capacity | 82,200 m3 |
| Beam | 37.20 m | Gross Ton | 46,793 tons |
| Depth | 21.00 m | Flag | Panama |
| Draft | 11.20 m | Class | ABS |
7th July 2017
“DRIVE GREEN HIGHWAY,” a 7,500RT large-scale car carrier operated by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (hereinafter “’K’ Line”), has been selected as recipient of the grand award of “Ship of the Year 2016” by the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers. The award ceremony was held on July 7.
“Ship of the Year” has been annually awarded to the most technically, artistically and socially conscious vessel built in Japan. The award was established in 1990 and this year is the 27th anniversary.
The eco-flagship, “DRIVE GREEN HIGHWAY,” was built in recognition of our role to help lead the maritime industry in facing environmental issues, such as marine & air pollution, ecosystem protection and global heating. Sulfur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) are recognized as major causes of acid rain, and carbon dioxide (CO2) as cause of global heating. “DRIVE GREEN HIGHWAY” is equipped with innovative technologies that contribute to reduction of air pollutant emissions. (*1)
“DRIVE GREEN HIGHWAY” was honored not only for its advanced equipment ahead of international regulations that will become effective, but also for its outstanding contribution to the maritime industry. On February 2, soon after delivery of the vessel, an unveiling party and onboard tour for the public were held at Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal in Yokohama. The ceremony was reported in and outside of Japan, receiving broad national international attention. (*2)
The construction of “DRIVE GREEN HIGHWAY” is a key milestone toward the goals set in our “Environmental Vision 2050.” We also place a high value on ESG (Environment, Social & Safety and Governance) in our new medium-term management plan as well.
Going forward, “K” Line will continue to pursue diverse environmental protection initiatives, including the development of measures to prevent air pollution, in order to help curb increasingly heavy environmental loads on a global scale.
7th July 2017
For the integration of their container shipping businesses, including worldwide terminal operation businesses outside Japan, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha have announced the establishment of the below holding company and operating company.
Overview of New Companies
(1) Holding Company
Tradename : Ocean Network Express Holdings, Ltd.
Location : Tokyo
Date of Establishment : July 7, 2017
(2) Operating Company
Tradename : Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd.
Location : Singapore
Date of Establishment : July 7, 2017
Further details will be provided on July 10, 2017.
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. – Eizo Murakami, President & CEO
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. – Junichiro Ikeda, President & CEO
Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha – Tadaaki Naito, President
July 06, 2017 — Evergreen Line has been awarded Best Shipping Line – Asia-Africa by Asia Cargo News at the 2017 Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Awards (AFLAS). The accolade was presented at a ceremony in Singapore last week and was accepted on behalf of the carrier by Ms. Molly Mok, Chairman of Evergreen Marine (Singapore) Pte Ltd.
The criteria against which voters were asked to choose an award winner included maintenance of schedule integrity, effective and easy to use IT systems, professional customer service and comprehensive choice of ports of call on the trade. Asia Cargo News invited its readers to select the companies that had additionally demonstrated innovation and quality of service. The winners of these awards have traditionally been chosen by transportation service users, not a panel of judges. The accolade is therefore particularly significant as it signifies a vote of confidence in the carrier’s quality service by its customers and reflects true industry excellence.
Evergreen Line is committed to providing this quality service through consistent investment in people, ships and infrastructure to build a reliable global network with a highly efficient IT platform. The carrier’s award-winning e-commerce system enables customers to be updated on the latest progress of their shipments. Its professional customer service team work hard to provide solutions to shippers’ transportation demands, allowing them to seize business opportunities and enhance market competitiveness.
Hosted and organized annually by freight and logistics publication Asia Cargo News, the AFLAS awards conduct a comprehensive survey on transportation and logistics operators, including air and shipping lines, airports and seaports, logistics, 3PLs and other associated industry professionals. The awards are designed to honour organizations that have demonstrated leadership as well as consistency in their service quality, innovation, customer-relationship management and reliability.
July 4, 2017
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.
Sumitomo Corporation
JGC Corporation
Development Bank of Japan Inc.
Four companies (hereinafter the “four partners”), namely, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Eizo Murakami; hereinafter “’K’ Line”), Sumitomo Corporation (head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Kuniharu Nakamura), JGC Corporation (head office: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; Chairman & Representative Director: Masayuki Sato; hereinafter “JGC”), and Development Bank of Japan Inc. (head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masanori Yanagi; hereinafter “DBJ”) have agreed in principle to participate in the owning and chartering business for oil and gas floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO)1 (hereinafter the “project”) run by the Malaysian offshore production services provider, Yinson Holdings Berhad and its group of companies (hereinafter “Yinson”).
After commencement of the definitive agreement, the four partners will acquire, through a joint venture, 26% of the shares of Yinson Production (West Africa) Pte. Ltd. (hereinafter “YP (WA) PL”), a FPSO owning company operated by Yinson. YP (WA) PL has concluded a 15-year long-term FPSO chartering agreement with Eni Ghana Exploration and Production LTd., which is an affiliate of the major Italian oil company Eni SPA, and started oil production at Offshore Cape Three Point Block (“OCTP”), approximately 60 kilometers south west of Ghana, in May 2017. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the domestic supply of natural gas from FPSO is expected to commence in Ghana by mid-2018.
FPSO is key infrastructure for deep-water oil and gas production, which are likely to increase steadily in the future; thus, demand for FPSO is expected to increase. In preparation for this demand, “K” Line, Sumitomo Corporation and JGC will acquire knowledge and expertise through the project as their first FPSO owning and chartering business. DBJ will supply risk money with the “Special Investment Operations” as the project will help improve vitality and develop sustainability of the Japanese economy. Through the project, the four partners will contribute to stable oil and natural gas supplies in Ghana, thus solving natural gas and electricity shortages in the country.
1 FPSO (floating production, storage and offloading) refers to facilities used for offshore crude oil and gas production—storage of the produced crude oil in a tank and direct offloading onto a tanker.
■Reference
Outline of the project
| Name of FPSO | John Agyekum Kufuor |
| Crude oil production capacity | 58,000 barrels/day |
| Gas production capacity | 210 million square feet/day |
| Crude oil storage capacity | 1.4 million barrels |
| Mooring system | Spread mooring (about 500 to 1,000 meters below the surface)
*Multi-point mooring system to hold a vessel in position using multiple mooring lines |
| Shareholding ratio | Yinson Group: 74%, four partners: 26% |
| Chartering period | 15 years from June 2017 |
Outline of Yinson Holdings Berhad
Established in 1983 as a local transport and logistics company in Malaysia, which was divested from Yinson Group entirely in 2016. Yinson is currently a full-fledge company in the oil and gas industry and major player in the FPSO industry and is listed on the Main Market of the Malaysian stock exchange, Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad. Yinson’s current fleet consist of five FPSOs and one floating, storage and offloading (“FSO”) unit as of June 2017.
Head office location: KL Eco City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Business: Marine services including offshore production services in support of global oil field developments
In previous press releases (see below), Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha announced the expected establishment of a holding company and an operating company by July 1, 2017, for the integration of the three companies’ container shipping businesses, including terminal operation businesses outside Japan.
As of today, the new company to be established has received all necessary approvals for compliance with local competition laws in regions and countries where compliance is required for the new company’s establishment, and progress is being made towards completing the establishment of the new integrated container shipping business. Further details will be announced upon completion of all establishment procedures.
In the Republic of South Africa, the new company expects to complete the approval process for compliance with competition law before the service commencement date of April 1, 2018.
Overall, there is no impact on the three companies’ integration plans for the new container shipping business, and the service commencement date for the new company is likewise unchanged from April 1, 2018.
Related press releases
“Notice of Trade Name and Location of New Container Shipping Joint Venture,” May 31, 2017,
http://www.mol.co.jp/en/pr/2017/img/17035.pdf
“Notice of Agreement to the Integration of Container Shipping Businesses,” October, 31, 2016,
http://www.nyk.com/english/release/dbps_data/_material_/_files/000/000/004/488/161031_5.pdf