K Line Orders Newcastlemax

Japanese shipping giant Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has placed an order for a 210,000 dwt bulk carrier at compatriot shipbuilder, Japan Marine United Corporation.

The 108,900 gross ton vessel is being built for a consecutive voyage contract with JFE Steel and will be used to ship iron ore and coal. The newbuild is due for delivery in fiscal year 2021.

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, said a press release.

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," said the release.