MOL signs MoU for container terminal expansion at Port of Kobe

Japanese shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the Port Island Phase 2 development project at the Port of Kobe.

MOL signed the agreement with Kobe-Osaka International Port Corporation and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line).

Following the Phase 2 South Pier expansion and improvement work undertaken by the Kobe-Osaka International Port Corporation, MOL will add berth PC-14 and the land behind the terminal to its lease and expand Kobe International Container Terminal (KICT). The Phase 2 South Pier expansion will be completed in 2025.

MOL currently leases KICT and operates berths PC-15, 16, and 17 along with Sankyu, Sumitomo Warehouse, and Nickel & Lyons.

The MoU also calls for K Line, which currently operates a container terminal on Rokko Island, to join KICT. After the completion of the expansion and improvement work, KICT will be the largest terminal in western Japan, handling about 40% of international container cargo at the Port of Kobe.

The expanded KICT will have a total wharf length of 1,750m, up from the current 1,050m, providing more flexible berth windows and streamlining connections for containers with other routes.

Furthermore, a container freight station directly connected to the terminal and a logistics facility with an overhead crane that can move larger cargo, will be built on the land behind the terminal. MOL Group company Shosen Koun will operate these facilities.

MOL has positioned the Port of Kobe as an important base for its domestic business for many years, and its group companies currently operate the port, logistics, tugboat, and real estate businesses.