May 22 - "K" Line has signed a contract with Hitachi Transport System Group's dedicated forwarding arm Vantec HTS Forwarding for the shipment of Hitachi rail cars for the UK's Intercity Express Programme (IEP).
The IEP rail cars, which are being manufactured at Hitachi's Kasado plant, will be loaded onboard new "K" Line vessels at the Port of Tokuyama-Kudamatsu, and discharged at the nearest port on the east coast of the UK to Newton Aycliffe, where Hitachi is constructing the train plant for the new cars.
A series of "K" Line ro-ro vessels, with 7,500 unit capacities, are currently under construction in Japan. Some of these vessels will be deployed on the Japan - Europe trade and will serve this transportation project for a number of years.
Ten vessels of this type have been ordered, with the first one scheduled for delivery in July 2015. The new vessels will have 20 percent increased car carrying capacity, as well as more space for high and heavy cargo, says "K" Line.
