”K” Line Ups the Ante
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (”K” Line) plans to increase its net income from JPY 25 billion (USD 208.8m) recorded in 2014, to over JPY 60bn (USD 501.2m) by 2019, according to the Japanese shipping group’s latest Medium-Term Management Plan.
”K” Line expects the operating revenue to grow from JPY 1,35 trillion (USD 11.3bn) to JPY 1,5tn (12.5bn) by 2019.
The group plans to reduce its fleet of container ships from 70 to 61; however, the TEU capacity will increase with the sale and scrapping of the smaller ships, and the introduction of 10 14,000 TEU boxships currently on order.
The dry bulk carrier fleet will increase from 218 to 239 by 2019, as the group plans for this sector to bring 50% of all the revenue.
The car carrier fleet is expected to increase by two new vessels, to 98, while the tanker fleet will go from 25 to 24 vessels by 2019.
A significant increase is planned in the LNG shipping sector. ”K” Line is planning to add 18 new LNG carriers to the existing fleet of 43 vessels.
In its shipping operations ”K” Line plans to focus on the east-west routes, in which the company says it already has a competitive advantage. The company also expects a positive impact from the CKYHE alliance and the introduction of larger, more energy-efficient ships.
World Maritime News Staff
