ULCV Milano Bridge Joins K Line

Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has taken delivery of Milano Bridge, a 14,000 TEU containership newbuilding.

The ultra large container vessel (ULCV) was handed over to the company by Hiroshima Shipyard, part of Imabari Shipbuilding, on January 18.

Featuring a length of 365.9 meters and a width of 51.2 meters, the boxship flies the flag of Panama. The 146,931 dwt vessel currently has a market value of USD 92.6 million, VesselsValue’s data shows.

As explained by the company, Milano Bridge is same as the series of containerships delivered in 2015 and the first vessel belonging to the second generation. It will be deployed in the Asia-Mediterranean service (MED2) under THE Alliance.

K Line has five ULCVs scheduled for delivery this year, bringing the total number to ten units. Additionally, its total container fleet comprises more than 60 vessels.

Earlier this month, K Line and its two compatriot shipping companies Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) said that their new joint venture company, Ocean Network Express, received all necessary merger approvals from local competition authorities.

The three companies are integrating their container shipping businesses, including terminal operation businesses outside Japan. The JV would operate a fleet totaling 1.4 million TEUs, placing it as sixth in the market with approximately 7 percent of global share.