Tokyo: Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha has announced its intention to invest in the Zhejiang Eastern Shipyard Co (ZESCO) in Zhejiang Province through an agreement signed with the joint venture company between Hanjin Shipping and Shunhe Shipping. The money is expected to help with expansion plans at the facility.
ZESCO is located in a northern part of Zhoushan islands, Zhejiang Province, occupying total area of 550,000m2 with 1,900m length of coastline. It has capacity of 150 vessels per year, equipped with two large graving docks (one of which can accommodate 300,000dwt class VLCC or VLOC and the other can accommodate Capesize), hull workshop (13,000m2), one repair berth, painting workshop and mechanical-electrical workshop.
In addition, ZESCO plans to construct second repair berth and third graving dock. The graving dock facilities and one repair berth were completed and full operation started in early April 2009. 24 vessels have already docked in ZESCO and another 16 vessels are expected to dock in by the end of this year.
"K" Line is contracted to secure certain repair slots at ZESCO as a main shareholder and user. "Our participation in ZESCO means that we obtain core repair slots for increasing large-size vessels, as we announced in August 2008 when "K" Line became a Primary Strategic Partner in ship repair business with Titan Quanzhou Shipyard under construction in a suburb of Quanzhou City, Fujian Province," the company said in a statement to the press. "By these two projects, ZESCO and TITAN, "K" Line will cooperate with our friendly owners in regards to nomination to the two dockyards, placing "K" Line in an even better position to pursue enforcement of its safety policy and stable quality of ship management. In October 2009, we also established a consultant company 'Shanghai Brainy-Kawasaki Maritime Service Co., Ltd (SBK)' and SBK started to provide full support when vessels dock in the above two dockyards." [05/11/09]
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