"K" Line

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) is pleased to announce the signing of a 15-year long-term time charter contract (with an option to extend the contract up to 10 additional years) with Mitsubishi Corporation subsidiary Diamond Gas International Pte. Ltd. (DGI) on May 12th. “K” LINE has also concluded a shipbuilding contract with Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (Samsung) for a 174,000 m³ LNG carrier.

This is the first long-term time charter contract between DGI and “K” LINE involving a newly built vessel. The plan is for this new vessel to be engaged in LNG transportation around the world beginning in the second half of 2026. This vessel will be equipped with an ME-GA*¹ engine and achieve the reduction of environmental impact through the reduction of fuel consumption during operation.

In the 40 years since the delivery of the first Japanese LNG carrier, Bishu Maru, in 1983, “K” LINE has been establishing its expertise in LNG transportation and developing a worldwide network. The signing of the new contracts is a successful result of “K” LINE’s abundant experience supervising vessel construction, its high-quality ship management, and its ability to boast the highest level of safety in its commercially optimized operations.

In our Medium-Term Management Plan published in May 2022,*² “K” LINE has positioned the LNG business as one of its top priority areas for future investment. “K” LINE will continue to expand its long-term contracts and accommodate the growing demand for energy by responding to the diverse needs of its customers.

*1 ME-GA Engine: a low-speed dual-fuel engine using low-pressure gas

*2 Medium-Term Management Plan (Released on May 9th, 2022)

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/ir/management/strategy.html

Vessel Specifications

Please be advised that “K” Line Tokyo Head Office issued the following press releases today, which is an up-dated version of the press release distributed yesterday.

Please refer to the attached PDF documents for details. This press release is also available on the website both in English and Japanese. 

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) announced today that “K” Line Maritime Academy has renewed the content of its ship handling simulator training and obtained certification in the maritime training sector*¹ from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) for its new training course, Ship Handling & Maneuvering Simulator (Master) Training Course.

The ship handling simulator training course for masters and deck officers, for which the certification was granted, complies with the STCW Code*², which is an international convention on training of seafarers, and the Model Course 7.01*³, guidelines established by IMO. The training course also conforms to SIRE 2.0*⁴, an updated edition of Ship Inspection Report Programme established by OCIMF*⁵, an industry association of cargo owners.The Ship Handling & Maneuvering Simulator (Master) Training Course is the first to be certified by ClassNK among training courses complying with the corresponding parts of IMO Model Course 7.01, STCW Code, and SIRE 2.0.

“K” LINE has set the enhancement of its initiatives on safety, the environment, and quality as its business policy for improving its corporate value. Therefore, the development of maritime professionals who support safety in navigation and cargo operations is an important task. “K” LINE will continue to provide high-quality training and drive safety in navigation and cargo operations as well as environmental conservation, aiming to lead such efforts to the provision of higher-quality marine transportation.

*¹ Certification of Maritime Education & Training:

Certification in the maritime training sector, which is aimed at enhancing and strengthening seafarer training in response to the technical advancement of ship operation itself reflecting technological innovations in recent years.

https://www.classnk.or.jp/hp/en/authentication/maritime/

*² STCW Code:

International Convention on Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers

*³ IMO Model Course 7.01:

One of the IMO Model Courses that covers Chapter II, Section A-II/2 of the STCW Code, which includes requirements on the ship handling training of masters.

*⁴ Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE):

The Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE), formulated and managed by OCIMF, has been revised and is expected to start being operated as “SIRE 2.0” around the end of 2023.

https://www.ocimf.org/en/? view=article&id=1348:17-23&catid=28

*⁵ The Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF):

A major association of cargo owners, which sets forth its own safety guidelines, aiming to drive best practices in the structural design and operation of oil tankers, liquefied gas tankers, and offshore vessels and in their interfaces with onshore terminals.

https://www.ocimf.org/about-ocimf

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) is pleased to announce that its Thailand-based group company K LINE CONTAINER SERVICE (THAILAND) LTD. (KCST) will commence the operation of a new warehouse in the Bang Na district of Bangkok on April 1st.

The new warehouse is situated in a prime location 30 km from Bangkok’s city center, the largest consumption area in Thailand. It is designed to handle e-commerce products, and instead of dispatching products on a per-pallet or per-case basis as before, is able to dispatch products on a per-item basis more swiftly. Multi-level racks that take advantage of the 15 meter-high ceiling have been installed for this purpose. With the installation of a 15 meter-wide canopy that can store a large variety of products in small quantities, the warehouse has been fully equipped with an all-weather cargo entrance and exit. Additionally, KCST has obtained four ISO certifications (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 28000) at its existing warehouses and plans to obtain those same certifications for the new warehouse within the year.

Overview of the New Warehouse

Name: K LINE CONTAINER SERVICE (THAILAND) LTD.

Address: No. 191/1 Moo 9 T. Bangchaloang A.Bangplee, Samutprakarn 10540.

Service Launch Date: April 1st, 2023

Main Business Activities: General cargo storage, distribution processing, packaging, etc.

Total Floor Area: 10,638 m²

“K” LINE has been operating regular warehouses and freezing and refrigerating warehouses with close ties to the community in Thailand for over three decades. We have provided logistics services by situating each warehouse in a prime location, such as on the outskirts of Bangkok, within an industrial zone with a high concentration of Japanese companies, at Suvarnabhumi Airport and near Laem Chabang, one of Thailand’s major ports.

In addition, BANGKOK COLD STORAGE SERVICE, LTD. (BCS), another Group company located on the same premises, is in the process of constructing a new freezing and refrigerating warehouse which is due to open this summer (expected in August 2023).

In its management plan, “K” LINE has positioned the logistics business as a major business contributing to stable revenue. Going forward, “K” LINE will continue to provide high-quality logistics services and solutions to meet increasingly diverse customer needs and growing demand, with a focus on Southeast Asia, which will continue to show remarkable economic growth.

Overview of Warehouses in Thailand

Reference Link

Announced May 9, 2022: Medium-term Management Plan

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/ir/management/strategy.html

Related Press Release

Announced November 17, 2021: “K” LINE Group Companies Establish New Cold and Dry Warehouses in Thailand

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/news/logistics/logistics4947569946710464310/main/0/link/211117EN.pdf

Please be advised that “K” Line Tokyo Head Office issued the following press releases today.

Completion of Acquisition of Shares in Atlas Corp. by a Consortium Including an Equity Method Affiliate

This press release can be viewed on the following website both in English and Japanese. 

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/

Please be advised that “K” Line Tokyo Head Office issued the following press releases today.

Notice Regarding Completion of Cancellation of Treasury Stock

This press release can be viewed on the following website both in English and Japanese. 

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/

The launch ceremony for the liquefied CO2 transportation demonstration test ship was held today, 28th March 2023 at the Shimonoseki Shipyard of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Corporation (Mitsubishi Shipbuilding”).

At the launch ceremony, participants from related organizations including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, NEDO (the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) and the ship owner, Sanyu Kisen were on hand to offer their congratulation for the safe launch of the ship. The ceremonial rope was cut by Mrs. Noriko Ishizaki, the wife of the Nippon Gas Line Co., Ltd. (NGL, in charge of management and operation of the demonstration test ship) representative while all participants looked on.

This demonstration test ship hull will be equipped with the liquefied CO2 tank system researched and developed by the Engineering Advancement Association of Japan (ENAA). After completion, the demonstration test ship will be engaged in liquefied CO2 transportation for the CCUS R&D and Demonstration Related Project, the Large-scale CCUS Demonstration in Tomakomai, the Demonstration Project on CO2 Transportation, the R&D and Demonstration Project for the Marine Transportation of CO2 (hereinafter the “Demonstration Projects”) which have been conducted by NEDO since June 2021.

ENAA, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE), NGL, and Ochanomizu University will accelerate their research and development of the LCO2 transportation technology and contribute to the reduction of the cost of CCUS technology and realization of LCO2 safe large-scale long-distance transportation.

ENAA has been engaged in research and development towards the operation of a demonstration ship equipped with a liquefied carbon dioxide ship tank system, and it will continue to be responsible for the planning, analysis and supervision of the demonstration test.

“K” LINE carried out a risk assessment of the demonstration test ship in the safety evaluation in 2022 and will contribute to the development of an operation manual for the demonstration vessels.

NGL is proceeding with the planning of the management and operation of the demonstration vessel. In addition, NGL is conducting a case study of its own LPG vessel in preparation for the measurement of data related to the temperature, pressure, flow, etc. of the CO2 on the demonstration vessel.

Ochanomizu University conducts fundamental research on the control of the state of carbon dioxide (phase changes) and provide the information necessary for safe transportation studies.

ENAA, “K” LINE, NGL, and Ochanomizu University will contribute to the realization of a carbon neutral society through this demonstration project.

General Specifications

Cargo tank capacity:        1,450 m³

Overall length:                   72.0 m

Breadth:                               12.5 m

Draft:                                    4.55 m

Related releases

June 22, 2021: Participation in R&D and demonstration project for CO2 marine transportation

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/news/carbon-neutral/Liquefied_gas8511561127992992679/main/0/link/210622EN.pdf

February 2, 2022: NEDO Demonstration Project: The World’s First Demonstration Test Ship for Liquefied CO2 Transportation to be Built

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/news/carbon-neutral/Liquefied_gas-7680599579843084358/main/0/link/220202EN.pdf

October 7, 2022: NEDO Demonstration Project: Demonstration Test Ship for Liquefied CO2 Transportation has broken ground

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/news/carbon-neutral/carbon-neutral-239031784827641936/main/0/link/221007EN.pdf

“K” Line Tokyo Head Office issued the following press releases today:

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/

This press release is available on the website both in English and Japanese. 

～Autonomous Ship with Safe and Intelligent Supporting Technology～

Introduction movie of “Navigation Support System” was posted on “K” LINE’s YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/LtUSsx_0OcAvv

“K” LINE has combined the knowledge and insights concerning safe operations accumulated over the years with cutting-edge technology to support the crew and reduce their burden, “K” LINE is working to further increase safety and to realize autonomous navigation in the future.

We will introduce the navigation support system using AI and other advanced technology that is currently being developed under the lead of “K” LINE and Japan Radio Co., Ltd.

*About K-Assist project

Please refer to page 44 in “K” LINE Report 2022

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/ir/library/report/main/011113/teaserItems1/0/linkList/0/link/KLR22E_all_A3.pdf

Related Release : November 2, 2021: Starts Joint R&D on Integrated Navigation Support System Using AI and Other Cutting-edge Technologies

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/news/other/other2181208725925120084/main/0/link/211102EN.pdf

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) held a global IT conference, aimed at driving its digital transformation (DX) strategy and strengthening security, at its head office in early March.

Approximately 40 IT/DX experts from major business locations in “K” LINE’s global network in 16 countries and regions gathered for the conference. With the president, CIO, people from the Digitalization Strategy Group, and representatives from “K” Line Business Systems Co., Ltd., the participants held lively discussions and workshops themed on DX projects in each country based on the DX strategy, including a robust IT infrastructure that permits more than 5,400 employees of the “K” LINE Group to work with peace of mind, as well as advanced security measures that reassure customers with their reliability.

Many of the participants noted that sharing the achievements from DX projects will help improve customer services at each location and that reinforcing the IT infrastructure is essential not only internally but also for participating in the marine transportation and logistics ecosystem. They reaffirmed that it is support for enhancing “K” LINE’s core values of safety, environmental conservation, and quality in the IT/DX field that leads to higher corporate value. They also reconfirmed that the head office and business locations in the global network would cooperate even more strongly to further accelerate the improvement of the IT/DX environment in each country or region.

“K” LINE is driving digitalization as a functional strategy for achieving its business strategy under the Medium-term Management Plan announced in May 2022. The company will continue to bolster its corporate value and solve social issues in the IT/DX field as well, aiming to be a group of marine transportation professionals that reassure stakeholders with their reliability.

Reference

DX Strategy of “K” LINE announced in December 2022

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/sustainability/dx_strategy.html