"K" Line

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) is pleased to announce the signing of a long-term Time Charter contract of 12 years plus 12 years(Extension Option) from 2022, which have been concluded with PETRONAS LNG Ltd., a subsidiary of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS). “K” Line has also executed Shipbuilding contracts for 79,960m3 LNG carriers with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. (Hudong).

These are the first long-term Time Charter contracts between PETRONAS and “K” Line with new-building vessels. These two vessels will be equipped with X-DF^(※) engine.

PETRONAS, a fully integrated oil and gas company and also a global LNG producer with over 35 years of experience, provides an uninterrupted supply of LNG to more than 25 countries around the world. PETRONAS is also the first global energy player to introduce the floating LNG concept in 2016. These two newbuilding vessels will engage in transportation of LNG from Malaysia (Bintulu) to Shenergy (Group) Co., Ltd., China, from 2022.

Since the delivery of S.S. “Bishu Maru” in 1983, the first LNG carrier owned by any Japanese shipping company, “K” Line has been establishing safety/expertise on LNG transportation and developing its worldwide network over the past 37 years.

“K” Line will further expand stable earning structure from long-term contract and contribute to stable supply of energy. 

^(※)X-DF engine is dual-fuel engine which uses gas admitted at low pressure.

〔Main Particulars of the Vessel〕

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd., Tokyo, (hereafter called “K” Line) is proud to announce the delivery of “TOHOKU MARU,” an 91,000 DWT-type special coal carrier at Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. on 6 February 2020.

TOHOKU MARU is same type as “K” Line’s specialized fleet for transport of thermal coal known as the “Corona-series”. The “Corona-series” consists of epoch-making coal carriers equipped with wide beam and shallow draft, which are the most suitable type to enter ports of Japanese Thermal Power Stations to discharge cargo.

TOHOKU MARU is equipped with latest energy-saving and ecological technology such as Advanced Flipper Fins and Rudder Fin which promote her propeller efficiency. She also has the latest ecological technology such as ballast water management system which protects marine ecosystems, and SOx Scrubber which eliminates sulfur oxides from exhaust gas of engine and enables her to comply with the Global regulation of SOx which started in January, 2020.

TOHOKU MARU will be principally involved in carrying thermal coal to Thermal Power Plants for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc..

Vessels’s Specifications:

January 31, 2020

Please click the following addresses to read our reports.

・Financial Highlights for 3rd Quarter FY2019

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/news/ir/ir20200131e/main/0/link/2019_3_report_e.pdf

This is also available on “K” Line’s website:

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

January 30, 2020

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. announced that it will provide a monetary donation in the amount of 10 thousand Australian dollars through the Australian Red Cross toward relief efforts in the areas damaged by the Australian Bushfires.

We would like to express our deepest sympathy to those in the disaster areas and sincerely wish for the earliest recovery from this most unfortunate event.

“K” LINE is proud to announce that the company was recognized as “A List,” the top rating, on climate change from CDP, which is a non-profit global organization (NGO) engaging in activities for realizing sustainable economy, in “CDP 2019 Japan Report Launch ” held on January 20 in Tokyo. The “A List” is awarded to companies that are evaluated as global leaders in their response to climate change.

From among the companies that disclosed their climate change information in response to a questionnaire sent from CDP on behalf of 525 institutional investors with total assets of over 96 trillion US dollars, 179 companies whose measures against climate change such as emissions reduction activities in the reported year were regarded as outstanding were recognized in the A List last year. Japanese companies number 38 among these and only 6 companies were selected for more than four consecutive years.

In our medium-term management plan, we have set ESG (Environment, Society and Governance) initiatives as a key management issue. As for the field of the environment, we are advancing measures in accordance with “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050 – Securing Blue Seas for Tomorrow -*. In particular, promotion  of a framework “DRIVE GREEN NETWORK” for continually promoting environmental preservation activities while ensuring environmental compliance throughout the entire “K” Line Group bore fruit to gain the 4th  straight year to receive the A List rating.

As an environmental front runner, we will continue to aim for the realization of business – marine transportation being more environmentally low-loaded and highly efficient from which more people throughout the world can benefit.

* : Please see the following for details of our “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050  –  Click here

“Moving forward with the aim of being customers’ first choice through enhanced Safety, Environment, and Quality”

The New Year Message delivered by Yukikazu Myochin, President & CEO at “K” Line Tokyo Head Office on January 6 is posted below.

To everyone throughout the entire “K” Line Group, I extend my very sincerest Happy New Year wishes. We have reached the first year of the 2020 decade. This is also the year during which the company kicks off its new medium-term management plan. As we stand at this new starting line, I would like to take this opportunity to share a few words with you.

Looking back on 2019

Last year, the company celebrated the major milestone of its 100^th anniversary while Japan entered the new Reiwa era. Looking back on the global situation, although the US maintained a relatively strong economy, the resurgence of an “our country first” approach impacted multilateral free trade. Besides prolonged trade friction between the US and China, there are also concerns about conflicts arising in non-tariff areas. Other developments such as growing geopolitical tension in the Middle East and the issue of Brexit resulted in 2019 being a year of uncertainty.

In FY2019, the Group strove together as one toward our resolute goal of achieving profit in the black. Efforts and execution were made to tackle three issues raised at the beginning of the fiscal year, namely, recovering the fleet’s cost competitiveness through structural reforms set into motion by former President Murakami at the end of FY2018, improving profitability in our car carrier business, and driving a turnaround of OCEAN NETWORK EXPRESS (ONE). As a result of these efforts, as well as efforts to accumulate profits based on our medium and long-term contracts and reduce operating expenses, we were able to achieve more progress in the first half of the year than originally planned. I am grateful to the unremitting efforts of our officers and employees that made this possible.

A new starting line

Unfortunately, during the three years of our medium-term management plan starting in FY2017, financial indicators fell short of target due to factors including structural reforms in response to unexpectedly poor market conditions and a temporary deterioration in the bottom line caused by the teething problems of ONE’s first year of operation. However, we were able to steadily improve the foundations of our business in preparation for next steps, such as by rebuilding our business portfolio and introducing a business risk management system. We have so far been progressing as planned in the current fiscal year—let’s all work together to ensure that the remaining fourth quarter finishes well and achieve profit in the black for the full year.

In April of this year, the company will launch a new medium-term management plan. Although specific details of the plan are still under discussion, there will be no change in our core philosophy of facing customers head-on and providing high-quality services that meet their needs. We will further refine our strengths and increase competitiveness in our four core business operations of dry bulk, energy transportation, car carrier, and logistics/shortsea-coastal services. Having overcome the teething problems of operation, ONE is now at the stage where it can achieve more synergy through best practices and expect further improvements in meeting the bottom line.

As we stand at this new starting line, it is critical that we keep our antennas up and remain alert and prepare to respond flexibly to any changes. Market fluctuations are inevitable in the shipping business. From a medium to long-term perspective, we can see that the automotive industry is entering a once-in-a-century period of transformation, and that the energy industry is also moving toward low carbon and decarbonized alternatives. I believe that constantly reviewing conventional methods of doing things to see through to the heart of the matter, enhancing individual strengths, and then acting based on these insights, will lead to certain progress.

Being a first-choice company

Engaging in business that allows us to clearly see each of our customers face-to-face will be main business in our efforts to further strengthen the company’s four core operations of dry bulk, energy transportation, car carrier and logistics/shortsea-coastal business. Our customers are leading companies in infrastructure and pillars of industry at home and abroad. Our ability to grasp these customers’ needs and respond by providing unique value and services will be a key theme in our efforts to continue being our customers’ first choice.

The pillars supporting this theme are Safety, Environment, and Quality. These are our company’s strengths, cultivated over 100 years of history, and their importance will further increase in the future as sustainability becomes increasingly emphasized across society. By promoting research and development of various leading technologies and introducing and utilizing AI and IoT in our business to meet customers’ needs, we will further enhance our strengths of Safety, Environment, and Quality in both tangible and intangible applications.

Safety is at the root of our Group’s business as a comprehensive logistics company grown from shipping. I believe it is our mission to achieve a vision of “reliable and excellent services” by making continuous efforts in increasing safety – the foundation of society’s trust – while maintaining a top-class operational safety worldwide using advance technologies. The K-IMS platform we developed jointly with Kawasaki Heavy Industries is an integrated ship operation and performance management system that can collect, monitor, and analyze up to 2,000 items of operational data every 30 minutes. The platform, which has already been installed in 170 of our ships, will be utilized in selecting optimal routes, preventing serious accidents, and predicting failures.

Another theme that we must address head-on is environmental conservation, especially since we are a company that utilizes nature for its business. Compliance with the tightened regulation on emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx) that began this year is significant change to our industries. As a shipping company entrusted with our customers’ valuable cargo, we meticulously prepared each member of at-sea and on-land personnel under the slogan of “Never stop the ship”. An even greater challenge lies ahead in reducing greenhouse gases (GHG). As stated in the company’s Environmental Vision 2050, we announced the construction of an LNG-powered car carrier at the end of last year. We also announced our participation in an LNG fuel supply business in Singapore with Shell in addition to the launch of a joint venture in the Chubu Region. However, we cannot reach IMO’s 2030 targets by simply switching diesel oil to LNG fuel; on top of that, we must continue to study new technologies as “LNG + (plus)”, such as the self-flying energy kites announced last year that utilize wind power. Furthermore, in order to reach our 2050 goals, we will accelerate research in alternative fuels such as ammonia, and methanation fuels in addition to hydrogen, participated in demonstration of shipping liquefied hydrogen through HySTRA (*) in last November.

Regarding our efforts toward advanced business management, we are establishing risk measures and investment guidelines for each business division based on our actual data on shipping market conditions and shipbuilding prices from over the past decade. Going forward, we will make investments that correspond to our customer strategy based on a quantitative understanding of risk levels and commensurate return.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2020 is the year of the Metal Rat (Kanoe Ne), which is said to indicate a state of transformation into a new form while inheriting previous methods. Now that we have taken a step of profitability, I hope that all of the officers and employees of the Group will move steadily forward as one and strive to further refine the three pillars of Safety, Environment, and Quality, and improve our customers’ trust, which will build a stable profit base and make a fresh start for the next 100 years.

In closing, I wish all of you, the members of the entire “K” Line Group and your families, good health and prosperity as we celebrate the New Year and pray that all our ships will navigate safely throughout 2020.

Yukikazu Myochin , President & CEO

(*) HySTRA: CO₂-free Hydrogen Energy Supply-chain Technology Research Association – http://www.hystra.or.jp/en/

We have been endeavoring to achieve safe navigation through strict alcohol management onboard. As a further step, we have started to install alcohol detector linked to smartphone, developed by the system development company “Pai-R Co., Ltd.,” to vessels under the management of “K” LINE group company in order to further strengthen management in our efforts to successfully achieve promotion of safe navigation.

An alcohol detector is connected to the smartphone to launch the dedicated application, then one blows into the detector. The face photo of subject being tested is automatically taken and sent to the cloud on shore via satellite communication along with the test result. This detection data is saved and managed by the shore server and can be accessed and confirmed by management on the vessel as well as in the shore office. In case alcohol is detected, an alert e-mail will be sent to the registered e-mail address that will enable monitoring the alcohol test onboard the vessel in real time.

With introduction of this system, we expect to have the advantage in further enhancement of  alcohol management and reduction in workload that will contribute to Work Style Reform　onboard our vessels compared to previous alcohol test methods such as using simple alcohol detectors and managing the record of test results by ship’s crew.

We will continue installing them from November 2019 with the target of having them installed in all our managed vessels during first half of year 2020.

“K” LINE is aiming to introduce new technology, improve our high-value-added transportation services and obtain the best possible satisfaction and reliability from our esteemed customers. We are dedicated to continuing to seek the best as well as the safest services through strong cooperation and alliances with multiple business partners across various and different fields.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K”LINE) and FueLNG Pte Ltd.(*) (FueLNG) have concluded a ship management agreement for the 7,500CBM LNG-Bunkering Vessel (LBV) that FueLNG will own, operate and carry out all commercial operations.

The partnership will combine “K”LINE’s extensive ship management and LNG transportation experience with FueLNG’s LNG bunkering expertise, which includes more than 160 truck-to-ship LNG bunkering operations conducted to-date. This will provide a reliable, expedient and seamless bunkering process for FueLNG’s customers.

The LBV is expected to commence LNG-bunkering service in Singapore, one of world’s largest bunkering ports, in 2H2020 after delivery from Keppel Offshore & Marine’s shipyard where it is being built. This will be the first LNG Bunker Vessel providing ship-to-ship bunkering in Singapore.

In order for shipping companies to achieve increasingly stringent global regulations on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships, LNG as marine fuel is considered one of the primary alternative fuels to replace conventional heavy fuel oil for its characteristics to emit less GHG and other air pollutants.

“K” LINE Group will promote its effort to reduce GHG emissions in accordance with the “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050, providing logistics services that are more environmentally low-loaded and highly efficient.

*FueLNG is a joint venture between Keppel Offshore & Marine and Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd and works to build a world-class LNG bunkering network and encourage the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel.

In December 2018, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) placed an order for a car carrier vessel fuelled by LNG (liquefied natural gas) with Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. as a next-generation car carrier vessel with reduced environmental load. Construction has been started and expected completion will be in the fall of 2020. The outline of the vessel is as follows:

Length Overall: about 199.9 meters

Width: about 37.2 meters

Maximum number of vehicles loadable: About 7,020

Gross Ton: about 73,800 tons

Country of Registry: Japan

Due to ever-increasing high environmental awareness, our study of LNG fuelled vessel has been accelerating. With the support of the “Model Project for Maximize Reduction of CO2 Emissions from LNG fueled Vessels” a joint project between the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, came to materialization this year when our company marked the 100th Anniversary of its foundation.

In 2015, we formulated a long-term environmental management vision called the “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050 “Securing the Blue Seas for Tomorrow,” with the aim of minimizing all environmental impacts generated by our business activities. In February 2016, we launched an environmental-friendly flagship called “Drive Green Highway,” a car carrier vessel with the next-generation environmental technologies such as state-of-the-art energy-saving technologies and SOx scrubbers (sulfur oxide purification equipment). In the Environmental Vision 2050, we have set the goal of “Reducing CO2 emissions by half” and “Replacing majority of energy currently consumed with new energy sources,” and this LNG-fuelled ship will be a next-generation environmental-friendly car carrier vessel for achieving these goals.

By building LNG-fuelled car carrier vessels, we are actively responding to a wide variety of transportation needs from customers both domestic and overseas, while responding to the growing need for environmental friendliness, and contribute to a sustainable society through high-quality transportation.

(Note) LNG fuel reduces CO2 emissions by about 25 to 30%, sulfur oxides by 100%, nitrogen oxides by about 80 to 90%, respectively, compared with conventional fuel oil. It is attracting attention as a potential alternative fuel with less environmental load.

• “K” line Group is promoting activities that contribute to SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), and this project is a part of its ongoing activities.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. is pleased to announce that construction contract for 210,000-dwt Bulk Carrier to be completed in 2021 fiscal year has been made with Japan Marine United Corporation.

After delivery from the yard, the vessel will be put into a consecutive voyage as per contract signed with JFE Steel and will be engaged in iron ore and coal transportation.

The main features of this vessel will comply with NOx emission regulations (Tier III) and be  equipped with SOx scrubber that removes SOx from the exhaust gas for complying with SOx emission regulations that will be enforced worldwide from January 2020. This vessel is also an energy-saving type that achieves both increased cargo weight and reduced fuel consumption compared to conventional ships. In addition, she is a state-of-the-art vessel that meets the EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index), which is a GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emission regulation, taking into consideration the Phase 2 level applied to contracted vessels after 2020.

Our Coal & Iron Ore Carrier Group fleet is dedicated to responding flexibly and proactively to customer needs for environmental responses that are expected to expand in the future, while also strengthening our efforts to successfully achieve GHG reduction targets in our “K” LINE Environmental Vision 2050 as well as IMO.

Vessel Particulars (All figures are approximate)

LOA                :        299.99M

Width             :        50.00M

Depth             :        25.00M

Draft               :        18.40M

Deadweight   :        211,000T

Gross Ton      :        108,900