Feeder boxship Kaifu was built at the Kyokuyo Shipyard in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan and weights 9,662 gross tonnes with a container carrying capacity of 1,096 TEUs. It is a sister ship to the Kiso, which was built in June and is Imoto Lines’ largest capacity vessel in Japan.
Kaifu, which has the capacity of a short-sea container ship, will be deployed in the Sea of Japan service, catering to Kitakyushu, Akita, Niitaga, and Toyoma. The 400 TEU Sakura began the service in November 2022.
As part of the Japanese government’s international container strategic port programme, Japanese domestic liner Imoto Lines is aiming to concentrate export and import shipments at the strategic ports of Keihin (Tokyo and Yokohama) and Hanshin (Osaka and Kobe) regions.
Meanwhile, in processing domestic cargo, the Kobe-based shipping firm must fulfill demands for modal shifts produced in anticipation of the so-called 2024 logistical challenge.
When overtime limitations are implemented in Japan next year, the logistics industry is expected to confront a number of challenges, including truck driver shortages. As a result, Imoto Lines will use Kaifu in its Sea of Japan operation to pick up cargo from trucks.
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