'K' Line ships' on-time performance improves in second quarter over Q1

KAWASAKI Kisen Kaisha Ltd ("K" Line) has published results showing that all of its container shipping services operated using its own vessels recorded improvements in On-Time Arrival Performance during the April-June period compared to the results recorded for the preceding three month period (January-March).

The only exception was the ocean liner's intra-Asia services, which experienced port congestion in China and typhoons, hence poorer results.

"Overall on-time performance of "K" Line' s Asia-USWC, Asia-USEC and Asia-EUR services improved for April-June, 2012 compared to that for January-March, 2012 due to restructuring of service schedules as well as relieving winter weather factors during ocean transit," the carrier said in a statement.

A breakdown of the results show that its container shipping services were on-time during April-June: 82 per cent of the time on the Asia-USWC trade route, up from 67 per cent recorded in the prior January-March period; 92 per cent of its services were on time on the Asia USEC trade from April-June versus 61 per cent for January-March; 96 per cent of its services were on time on the Asia-Europe trade from April-June versus 77 per cent for January-March; the Asia-Mediterranean trades were virtually unchanged with 83 per cent of its services being on time from April-June versus 82 per cent for January-March; while its on-time performance on the Intra-Asia trades deteriorated from 69 per cent being on time from January-March to only 65 per cent of services being on-time between April and June.

According to the carrier's performance criteria, it measures a service's on-time performance from the first departure port in the outward voyage to the turning port of the inward/outward voyage, which it considers the "last discharging port" in the inward voyage. For a service's arrival to qualify for being on-time the vessel must berth within 24 hours of the announced schedule.

The company's On-Time Arrival Performance Report is one of the KPI (Key Performance Index) for its liner service.