Asia/Pacific News
K-Line Orders Four Fuel-Saving Car Carriers
Japanese shipping line Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. [TYO:9107] (K Line) says it has ordered four fuel efficient "next generation" car carrier vessels, with shipbuilders Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co. Ltd. and Japan Marine United Corporation each building two of the ships.
"We have appointed two shipyards and are adopting state of the art design in terms of top notch fuel efficiency and flexibility on cargo handling that will be far better than our existing fleet," said Yoshiyuki Aoki, executive managing officer for the Car Carrier Sector.
The vessels will have the widest beam ever built at around 37 to 38 meters, which Aoki said has been shown to provide improvements in both fuel efficiency and stability.
The ships will also feature technical improvements designed to mitigate wind pressure for lower fuel use, as well as equipment inside the cargo hold and loading ramp to provide flexibility to handle RORO cargoes beyond passenger cars.
"These four ships will replace existing aged tonnage," Aoiki said.
"It is our estimation that the car transport market and RORO cargo market will steadily grow, so we will continue to develop our fleet to deliver value added efficiency and capability of handling an even wider variety of cargo mix to assure our services successfully meet the needs of our valued customers."
The ships are scheduled for delivery in 2015 and the first quarter of 2016.
K Line, which has said rising fuel costs have affected its performance, also announced an order for an innovative liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier earlier this year.
