“K” LINE's history of marine transport of automobiles spans more than 50 years.
In 1968, “K” LINE completed construction of TOYOTA MARU NO. 1, a multi-level car carrier with a capacity of 1,250 vehicles. Since then, “K” LINE has continued to focus its energy and passion as a pioneer in the transport of completely built-up cars. We introduced TOYOTA MARU NO. 10, Japan's first pure car carrier (PCC), in 1970, and European Highway, the world's largest PCC at the time (with 4,200-vehicle capacity), which also boasted the highest navigation speeds, in 1973, consolidating our position as a world leader.
In 2016, Car Carriers transported approximately 17 million vehicles worldwide (excluding European short sea and coastal transport), of which “K” LINE transported approximately 3.1 million vehicles or 18% of the vehicles. As of January 1, 2017, “K” LINE operates around 97 Car Carriers on service routes spanning the globe using these vessels.
Since 1968, “K” LINE has expanded its fleet and focused on technological innovation while working to achieve the highest level of safety in navigation and prevent damage to goods during transport to meet the rapidly changing needs of global automobile markets. We remain committed to providing services tailored to customer needs around the world in the future.
