Japanese shipping group K Line will start operations at container terminals PC14-17 at the Port of Kobe in Japan on 1 September 2026, creating one of the country’s largest container terminals and a facility handling nearly 40% of Kobe’s foreign-trade containers, according to K Line.
The company will relocate to the Kobe International Container Terminal, or KICT, on the southern pier of the Port Island Stage 2 area.
The terminal comprises berths PC14 through PC17 after berth PC14 and its adjacent yard were added to the leased area as part of the expansion of the pier.
The enlarged facility is expected to improve its ability to accommodate large containerships, provide greater flexibility in berth operations and improve convenience for transshipment cargo.
K Line signed a basic agreement with Kobe-Osaka International Port Corporation and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd in June 2023 covering the relocation to KICT and the integrated use of terminal facilities as the Port Island Stage 2 complex was expanded and upgraded.
The companies have since been preparing for the relocation and start of operations. K Line group company Nitto Total Logistics Ltd will be responsible for operating the facilities. The project also covers customer requirements related to digital transformation and environmental initiatives under K Line Environmental Vision 2050.
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd, which operates under the K Line name, was established in 1919. Its business activities include marine, land and air transportation, through transportation and harbour transportation.
Kobe-Osaka International Port Corporation is a Japanese port operating company established in 2014 to manage container and ferry terminal operations at the ports of Kobe and Osaka.