Community Involvement and Development

Basic Principle

The “K” Line Group as a good corporate citizen will make ongoing efforts to contribute to social development and improvement and support employees’ voluntary participation in such activities.

Collaboration with Stakeholders

NPO “South African Education Support Initiative (SAPESI)”

The “K” Line Group supports the activities of an NPO “South African Education Support Initiative (SAPESI)”, aimed at raising the level of primary education in South Africa, and has been cooperating in providing free transportation of children’s books and educational materials to the country since 2011.

※Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) is a form of economic empowerment initiated by South African government to improve and recover social and economic status of individuals disadvantaged by Apartheid. Companies conducting business activities in South Africa are evaluated and degrees of their contribution are measured as BEE scores in such pillars as equity ownership, management, skills developments, preferential procurement, enterprise development and socio-economic development, etc.. “K” LINE SHIPPING (SOUTH AFRICA) PTY LTD, “K” Line’s affiliated company in South Africa, supports this policy and is verified as level 2 (the second highest score).
http://www.kline.co.za/uploads/K%20Line%20Shipping%20B-BBEE%20certificate%202015.pdf

NPO “VOS Nippon”

The “K” Line Group supports the activities an NPO “VOS Nippon”, who collects, measures, and makes available on its website data of salinity and temperature of seawater for free access by the public. We accept installing the NPO’s measuring equipment on our thermal coal carrier “CHUBU MARU”.  Data collected with the equipment is utilized by various organizations around the world to analyze the influence of global warming to the oceans.

NPO “Fellow’s Will”

The “K” Line group has organized volunteer activities as part of its training programs for new employees in the disaster-affected areas of the Great East Japan Earthquake in cooperation with NPO “Fellow’s Will” since 2012.
(Reconstruction support of the Great East Japan Earthquake)

Social Contribution Activities

Free Ocean Transportations

The “K” Line Group initiates social contribution activities by providing free ocean transportation of vehicles and commodities donated to various countries, utilizing its own fleet and service routes.

Supporting Transport of Educational Materials to South Africa

The “K” Line Group supports the activities of NPO “South African Education Support Initiative (SAPESI)”, aimed at raising the level of primary education in South Africa, and has been supporting it by providing free transportation of children’s books and educational materials to the country since 2011.

In July 2015, SAPESI organized ceremonies to donate books for children to each state government in South Africa. Out of them, the ceremony in Kwa Zulu Natal State was organized at the office of “K” Line Shipping South Africa, “K” Line’s local subsidiary, attended by over 70 peoples including executives of KZN Education Bureau.

Free Ocean Transportation of　Fire engines and Ambulances for Latin American countries

The “K” Line Group has established close relationship with Latin American Countries for a long time, assuming Honorary Consul of El Salvador since 1969, Chairmanship of Japan-Chile Association (est. 1940) and Japan-Peru Association (est. 1954), as well as Directorship of Latin-America Association in Japan (est. 1958). It has therefore been  providing free ocean transportation of supporting goods destined for those countries.
In FY2015, “K” Line has transported 5 fire engines and 2 ambulances to El Salvador, and a fire engine to Peru, in cooperation with Daito Corporation, its affiliate company.

Initiatives for Local Communities

To celebrate 20th anniversary of the establishment of “Marine Day”, one of Japan’s national holidays, the “K” Line Group has hosted various events, inviting local residents, in cooperation with The Japanese Shipowners’ Association (JSA). For example, “K” Line has held tours to  ships, including　a pure car carrier “HAWAIIAN HIGHWAY” in Kobe, 　and a container ship “BROOKLYN BRIDGE” in Tokyo and Yokohama (the latter is combined with site tours to container terminals). In the meantime, Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line Kinkai) has held a tour to its ferryboat “SILVER QUEEN”.

The volunteer activities

The Lunchtime Volunteer

In cooperation with other companies in the same building where the head office is located, the “K” Line Group conducts periodical litter cleanup activities called “the lunchtime volunteer”. Casually participating in the activities during lunchtime, members can think about environmental preservation as well as contribution to the local community.

The Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction Support Volunteer

The “K” Line Group has been sending employees for volunteering activities  to disaster-affected area in Tohoku since 2012, and organizing volunteer tours to encourage employees to proactively participate in such activities.
Please refer to The Great East Japan Earthquake Relief Efforts.

Umi-no-Mori [Sea forest] tree-planting activity

Employees of the “K” Line Group and their families have been participating in the Umi-no-Mori [Sea forest] tree-planting activity since 2010. The activity  has been held aiming to help prevent global warming by having planted trees absorb carbon dioxide, in which 86 people have participated from the “K” Line Group since the beginning.

Relief Donations

Date	Disaster/Poverty area	Support activities
May,2015	Nepal earthquake	JPY 2 million in donation to the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRC)
November,2013	Typhoon Haiyan (No, 30)/Philippines	JPY 5 million in donation to Rayomar Outreach Foundation, Inc and free ransportation of relief supplies
December,2012	Typhoon Bopha (No, 24) / Philippines	JPY 2 million in donation to the Japanese Red Cross Society
December,2011	Tropical Storm Washi (No, 21) / Philippine island of Mindanao	JPY 2 million in donation to the Japanese Red Cross Society
October, 2011	Thailand floods	JPY 5 million in donation (in conjunction with K Line (Thailand) Ltd) to Thailand Red Cross Society and free transportation of relief supplies
March,2011	Tohoku earthquake and tsunami / Japan	JPY 50 million in donation to JRC in cooperation with “K”LINE Group companies, and free transportation of relief supplies
September,2011	China floods	JPY 2 million donation to JRC
September,2011	Sindh floods / Pakistan	JPY 1 million in donation to JRC
April,2010	Yushu earthquake /China	JPY 3 million in donation to the Red Cross Society of China in conjunction with “K”Line (China) Ltd. and “K”Line (HongKong) Ltd.
Feburuary,2010	Chile earthquake	JPY 1 million in donation to JRC
January,2010	Haiti earthquake	JPY 1 million in donation to JRC
September,2009	Typhoon Ketsana (No,16) / Philippines	JPY 1 million in donation to JRC
August,2009	Typhoon Morakot (No,3) / Taiwan	JPY 1 million in donation to JRC
April,2009	L'Aquila earthquake / Italy	EURO 10,0000 in donation to the Brithish Red Cross in conjunction with “K”Line (Europe) Limited
June,2008	Typhoon Fengshen (No,6) Philippines	JPY 4 million in total in donation to the group's crew-manning companies in Philippines for the relief of crew's families suffered.
May,2008	Great Sichuan earthquake / China	JPY 5 million in donation from the company, as well as donation from sraffs/management, both to JRC
May,2008	Cyclone Nargis / Myanmar	JPY 3 million in donation from the company, as well as donation from staffs/management, both to JRC
November,2007	Cyclone Sidr / Bangladesh	JPY 3 million in donation to JRC
August,2007	Peru earthquake	JPY 500,000 in donation toJapan-Peru Association, and free transportation of relief supplies (in 5 units of 20' containers)
July,2007	Chuetsu offshore earthquake / Japan	JPY 1.5 miliion in donation to JRC

Systems for Supporting Employees’ Participation in Volunteering Activities

Volunteer Leave System

“K” Line has a volunteer leave system under which employees can take a leave for 10 days a year at maximum to participate in volunteering activities in large scale natural disaster affected areas. The leave also applies to those who join volunteering tours to the area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake hosted by the Company since 2012.

By the end of FY2014, 46 employees in aggregate have utilized the system and participated in volunteering activities.

Raising Social Contribution Awareness through Intranet Portal

In order to raise social contribution awareness among employees and the management, “K” Line sets in its intranet portal site a special page featuring social contribution activities, which contains  volunteer invitation circular reports on volunteering activities, an opinion box, etc.

In FY 2015, 7 volunteer invitations have been circulated through the portal. e Opinions from participants after each activity have also been collected which will be reflected in the improvement of future activities.

The Great East Japan Earthquake Relief Efforts

The “K” Line Group strives to continue its efforts in various ways to support the reconstruction of disaster-affected areas of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Participation in volunteering activities also brings benefits to the Company, since it provides employees with opportunities to acquire problem solving ability through thinking about what kind of problems remains and how they should be addressed.

Volunteer Activities in Tohoku area

 “K” Line has a volunteer leave system to encourage its employees’ participation in volunteering activities, and organizes volunteer tours. Since 2012, it has organized 8 tours, and the number of participants from the “K” Line Group so far is 78 in aggregate.

Volunteering Activities by New Employees

 “K” Line has been organizing volunteer activities by new employees as part of training program for them in the disaster-affected Tohoku area since2012, and 56 new employees in aggregate have been sent there so far.

Sales Events featuring Local Products from Disaster-Affected Area

“K” Line regularly holds sales events featuring local products of Tohoku so as to support the area’s reconstruction.

Various supports

Help for Those Affected by the 3-11 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami off the Pacific Coast
“K” Line Donates Reefer Containers to Quake-stricken Area in Tohoku, Japan
“K” Line Donates Reefer Containers to Quake-stricken Areas in Tohoku, Japan