Isramart : KAWASAKI KISEN, OTHERS TO RUN SHIPS SLOWER TO CUT DOWN ON CO2

Isramart news:
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (TSE:9107) said Tuesday that the CKYH Alliance, a consortium to which the shipping company belongs, plans to start operating containerships at slower speeds on some routes in order to lower carbon dioxide emissions and fuel costs.

The alliance -- Cosco Container Lines, Kawasaki Kisen, Yang Ming Maritime Transport Corp. and Hanjin Shipping Co. -- plans to reduce containership speeds by around 20 per cent on six routes that connect Asian ports to those on the Mediterranean coasts and other European locations.

This so-called slow steaming will have been implemented on four routes by the first half of next month. The other two routes will join the four by the end of June.

With sailing speeds being reduced to an average of 16-18 knots, time at sea will increase from 56 days to 63 days. And maintaining shipping capacity will require adding one extra vessel on each route, giving the alliance a use for some of its idle ships.

This will mark the CKYH Alliance's first-ever slow steaming. No changes in shipping charges are planned.

An estimated 10 per cent or so of containerships around the world are currently unused.