K-Line Add Four to PCC Newbuild Orders

Japan's Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K Line) says it has ordered four additional new next- generation pure car carrier (PCC) vessels from Japan Marine United Corporationon, on top of its recent identical 4-vessel shipbuilding contract placed with Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co.

In total, each company will be building four new "K" Line next generation car carriers, respectively, with delivery starting in 2015 and continuing through the first quarter of 2017.

K-Line explains that by adding this series of eight new ships with better stability and better fuel efficiency, they intend to deliver value added efficiency with the capability of handling an even wider variety of cargo mix, not only passenger cars but also other RoRo cargoes.

These next-generation ships are about 200m in LOA, with a cargo capacity of about 7,500 units [sic].