MOL Signs Lease for Four Berths at Kobe Terminal

Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) announced the signing of a lease agreement for four berths at the recently expanded and improved South Wharf, in the Port Island area of Kobe Port.

The expansion work was carried out by Kobe-Osaka International Port Corporation. MOL's new lease agreement with HPC covers berths PC14-17.

With this new contract, the Kobe International Container Terminal (KICT), which MOL operates jointly with Sankyu Inc., The Sumitomo Warehouse Co., Ltd., and Nickel & Lyons Ltd., will expand from its current three-berth configuration to a four-berth one. With the addition of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (K Line) as a new participant, KICT will become one of Japan's largest container terminals, handling approximately 40% of the international container cargo at Kobe Port.

Following the expansion, the total quay length of KICT will increase from 1,050 meters to 1,750 meters, allowing for greater flexibility in vessel berthing periods and improving transshipment connectivity with other routes. The expanded area features a total of 12 new remote-controlled electric rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes, thus driving the terminal's digital transformation (DX).

In conventional operations, crane operators must directly board the cargo handling equipment; however, the introduction of advanced RTG gantry cranes allows for remote operation from a dedicated operations building within the terminal. This provides operators with a more comfortable indoor working environment that is not affected by inclement weather.

At the same time, it will reduce the physical effort of operators while further improving operational productivity and safety. At the end of March, MOL launched the large-scale, 24-hour operation of CONPAS, its new port information system.

Because congestion around container terminal gates has been increasing trailer waiting times and presenting a serious obstacle to the fluidity of domestic logistics, MOL will continue to work to improve the efficiency and productivity of container logistics through terminal operations that leverage the latest DX technologies. The company also strives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at its terminals by installing solar panels on container gates and on the roofs of logistics facilities.