Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, (“K” Line) :says the management of its LNG carriers trading mainly in the Asia Pacific region will be transferred from “K” Line Tokyo headquarters to its wholly owned “K” Line Ship Management Co., Ltd. (KLSM).
KLSM is one of the main in-house ship management companies in the “K” Line Group and is currently manages LPG carriers, oil and product tankers in addition to containerships.
“K” Line became the first Japanese LNG carrier owner and operator in 1983 and now owns 31 LNG carriers and manges seven of them, four from Tokyo and three from London. By 2009, however, the company will owne 48 such vessels and manage 15 of them.
In a statement “K” Line says: “As a result of making every possible effort to provide safe and reliable transportation services, its LNG ship operations have achieved a “zero accident” track record. In the process of its business expansion, “K” Line is restructuring its organization and transferring ship management handled by Tokyo headquarters to KLSM in order to enhance the company’s overall LNG ship management system and provide the safest, most efficient and effective ship operations, concentrating on the expertise, technical information, management techniques and know-how cultivated by both companies, especially with regard to gas carriers and oil/product tankers.”