Archives for July 2025

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE)

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line)

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL)

The Japanese Shipowners’ Association (JSA)

Recognising the critical importance of training and securing highly skilled Japanese seafarers to maintain and further develop maritime transport, which is a vital infrastructure for Japan’s economy and daily life, major Japanese ocean-going shipping companies, NYK Line (President: Takaya Soga, Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), MOL (President: Takeshi Hashimoto, Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo), and “K” LINE (President: Takenori Igarashi, Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), along with the Japanese Shipowners’ Association (JSA) (President: Hitoshi Nagasawa, Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo), have initiated concrete discussions regarding the donation of a large-sized training vessel to the Japan Agency of Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers (JMETS) from the Japanese ocean-going shipping industry.

As identified in the report by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)’s study group on JMETS’s medium-term strategy, JMETS has been facing various challenges such as an unstable financial foundation, fewer actual on-board training days due to escalating fuel costs, shortages of instructors and crew, and the issue of accommodating students with varying proficiency levels and qualification goals on the same training vessel. These factors make it challenging for JMETS to provide sufficient on-board training, and additionally JMETS is also facing the issue of aging training vessels and school buildings. Considering these circumstances affecting JMETS, our industry has decided to begin exploring the donation of a large-sized training vessel to actively support the steady progress of JMETS’s medium-term reforms based on MLIT’s study group report.

The first step will be to examine the concrete specifications for the training vessel and engage in discussions with shipyards, aiming for completion around 2030.

We sincerely hope that JMETS’s reforms will progress steadily based on the MLIT study group’s report, and that our donation of this training ship will contribute to the healthy and stable development of training and securing highly skilled Japanese seafarers.

Reference:

MLIT Study Group on the Future of JMETS (Japanese only):

https://www.mlit.go.jp/maritime/maritime_fr10_000040.html

Contact:

Public Relations Office, Planning Division, The Japanese Shipowners’ Association

Email: pub-office@jsanet.or.jp

Notes to Editors:

JMETS (Japan Agency of Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers) is Japan’s principal institution for seafarer education and training. It operates eight maritime schools and maintains a fleet of five large training vessels nationwide. – https://www.jmets.ac.jp/

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) is pleased to announce that K MARINE SHIP MANAGEMENT PTE. LTD. (hereinafter “KMSM”), our in-house ship management company, received the “MPA Safety@Sea Awards” from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). The award recognizes the outstanding efforts of organizations and individuals who have contributed towards ensuring safer seas, and is presented across four distinct categories.

From left:
Capt. Shoji Fukuda, Chief Executive Officer, KMSM and Mr. Ang Wee Keong, Chief Executive, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore

KMSM received the award in the “Outstanding Contribution to Search and Rescue Effort” category—an achievement attributed to the exemplary rescue operation performed in May 2024 by the M/T TONEGAWA, under KMSM`s management, in the Indian Ocean, which earned widespread acclaim. The vessel received a request for assistance in rescuing the crew of the fishing boat from MRCC Colombo (Maritime Rescue Coordination Center) and successfully rescued all six crew members.

The awards ceremony was held during the opening session of the International Safety@Sea Conference*¹ on July 15, with Mr. Ang Wee Keong, Chief Executive, MPA, in attendance.

The “K” LINE Group includes “providing safe and optimized services” as part of its corporate principle and vision. To fulfill its responsibilities to society through safe navigation, “K” LINE Group has established the following three policy pillars.*²

(1) Enhancing the management structure to ensure safety in navigation

(2) Strengthening the ship management structure

(3) Reinforcing the securing and training of maritime technical personnel

The “K” LINE Group will continue to work toward the realization of both social and economic value through excellence in safe navigation and transportation quality management, sustainable growth and increased corporate value by supporting the infrastructure of the global community as a partner trusted by all of its stakeholders.

*1 International Safety@Sea Conference:

The International Safety@Sea Conference is a key event held during the Safety@Sea Week, an annual initiative organized by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). It serves as a global platform to promote maritime safety and foster collaboration among international maritime professionals.

https://www.safetyatseaweek.gov.sg

*2 “K” LINE’s policy on promoting safe navigation:https://www.kline.co.jp/en/sustainability/social/safety.html

A car carrier with a capacity of 6,900 vehicles has been delivered to Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) on July 18. The vessel is mainly fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and had been constructed by SHIN KURUSHIMA TOYOHASHI SHIPBUILDING CO., LTD.

A naming ceremony was held on the day of the delivery, and the vessel was named TETHYS HIGHWAY” (the “Vessel”) after a sea goddess from the Greek mythology by Mr. Tsuguo Fukumura, Senior Executive Officer of the shipper Isuzu Motors Limited.

Using LNG fuel is expected to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas (GHG), by 25% to 30% and emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx), which cause air pollution, by almost 100% in comparison with conventional vessels using heavy fuel oil.

In “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050 -Blue Seas for the Future-*¹, it has set the 2030 interim target of improving CO2 emissions efficiency by 50% compared with 2008, surpassing the IMO target of a 40% improvement. Furthermore, it sets its new target for 2050 as “The Challenge of Achieving Net-Zero GHG Emissions.” As an action plan, it will continue to work on the introduction of new fuels which have a low environmental impact and take on the challenge of achieving the targets it has established. 

Vessel Particulars

Main Measure :  LOA 199.96 meters x Beam 38.00 meters x Depth 38.07 meters x Draft 9.00 meters

Gross Ton :  75,259 tons

Speed :  19.00 KTS

Class :   ClassNK

Flag :  Japan

Builder :  SHIN KURUSHIMA TOYOHASHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd.

*1 “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050: Blue Seas for the Future

As part of our action plan to reduce GHG, it is engaged in a number of initiatives, for instance introducing zero-emission fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen fuels, and carbon-neutral fuels such as bio-LNG and synthetic fuels.

https://www.kline.co.jp/ja/sustainability/environment/management.html

“K” LINE selected as a Constituent of FTSE4Good Index Series, FTSE Blossom Japan Index and FTSE Blossom Sector Relative Index

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) has been selected as a constituent of the “FTSE4Good Index Series”, one of the leading global indices for ESG investing, for the fourth year straight and 21^st time in total. “K” LINE has also been listed as a constituent of “FTSE Blossom Japan Index” for eight years in a row and “FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index for the fourth consecutive year respectively, since those indices were initially launched.

Created by the global index provider FTSE Russell (the trading name of FTSE International Limited and Frank Russell Company), the FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices, selecting 1,175 companies from developed countries including 278 Japanese companies, and 870 companies from emerging countries. On the other hand, FTSE Blossom Japan Index and FTSE Blossom Japan Sector Relative Index reflect the performance of Japanese companies that demonstrate strong ESG practices (405 companies and 683 companies are selected respectively out of 1,347 constituents of FTSE Japan All Cap Index). These indices have been adopted as a benchmark of ESG investing by Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) in Japan. Those indices are used by a wide variety of market participants to create and assess responsible investment funds and other products.

The “K” LINE Group regards “sustainability management” as one of the key issues for achieving medium- to long-term enhancement of corporate value, and aims to create both economic and social values in a sustainable manner by striving to achieve both the continuous development of the Group and its contribution to a sustainable society. Going forward, the “K” LINE Group will continue to contribute to the resolution of social issues, including climate change, while pursuing growth opportunities and enhancing corporate value.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) is pleased to announce its first use of bio-LNG fuel supplied by Shell Western LNG B.V. (Shell) to the car carrier “OCEANUS HIGHWAY”.

The vessel received 500 tons of bio-LNG from Shell at the Belgium port of Zeebrugge on June 16, 2025.

The bio-LNG fuel (liquefied bio methane, LBM), derived from renewable organic waste and residue, is ISCC-EU*¹ certified to have a carbon intensity of less than zero on a lifecycle basis*², from fuel production to consumption.

Bio-LNG is a drop-in solution that is fully compatible with existing LNG infrastructure, making it an effective means of decarbonization for the shipping industry.

Dexter Belmar, Vice President of Shell Downstream LNG said: “Bio-LNG is a scalable solution we can use today. It is great for Shell to collaborate with key shipping players like “K” LINE that are taking the lead in the adoption of bio-LNG. Together, we’re helping to build industry-wide momentum in the transition to renewable fuels. Bio-LNG’s increasing availability and commercial viability gives our customers confidence that their dual-fuel LNG fleets are ready to further reduce emissions.”

Hiroto Arai, the General Manager of the “K” LINE Environmental/Technical Strategy Group said, “Our goal is to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in maritime transport is one of our top priorities. Our beginning to use bio-LNG fuel is a significant step towards our net-zero GHG emissions goal. Additionally, we feel that our partnership with Shell, a leading global energy company, puts us in a position where we will be able to substantially impact the shipping industry’s transition to renewable fuels. We will continue to work diligently on the introduction of renewable fuels to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.”

In “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050: Blue Seas for the Future,*³ we have set a 2030 interim target of improving CO₂ emission efficiency by 50% from 2008, surpassing the IMO target of a 40% improvement. Furthermore, we have set our new target for 2050, net-zero GHG emissions. As an action plan, we will continue to work to introduce new low environmental-impact fuels and take on the challenge of achieving the targets we have set.

*1  International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC)-EU of sustainable maritime fuel ensures the sustainability of feedstock production, the full end-to-end traceability of sustainable products through the supply chain, and the verified reduction of life cycle emissions in accordance with the EU’s RED II.

*2 The certified life cycle carbon intensity of less than zero is based on a methodology that includes avoided CO2e emissions from improved agricultural practices in line with RED II. *3 “K” LINE Environmental Vision 205: Blue Seas for the Future
As an action plan for GHG reduction, we are introducing zero-emission fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen fuels, as well as carbon-neutral fuels such as bio-LNG and synthetic fuels. https://www.kline.co.jp/en/sustainability/environment/management.html