No.166 Winter 2013

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Contents
No.166  2013  Winter
News Roundup............................................................................. P1-3
Special Feature . .........................................................................P4-10
“K” Line (Israel) Awarded Special Recognition by Intel (Israel)
Indonesian Triple-decker Motorcycle Carrier Finally Crosses the Indian Ocean
Introduction of “K” Line (Taiwan) Ltd.
Sweets from All over the World!!! - Hong Kong
Things that Would Be Good to Know before You Visit Hong Kong!
BEM VINDO AO PORTO!
Editors’ Log....................................................................................P11
OCEAN BREEZE No.164
News Roundup
“K” Line (Israel) Awarded Special Recognition
by Intel (Israel)
Contributed by Mr. Moran Mano, Executive Manager, Mano Maritime Ltd, “K” Line agents in Israel
In October 2012 one of the most major and leading HiTech companies in the world - “Intel” (Israel) has bestowed a reward of
recognition to “K” Line and Mano Maritime Ltd in acknowledgment of the contributions to Intel’s massive project of special floor
construction in its premises.
The massive project of upgrading Intel’s flooring was carried out in 4 years and required a
significant investment of approximately $3.5 billion USD. “K” Line, through Mano Maritime
Ltd (agent in Israel) have developed a fruitful cooperation with “Intel” and became the
leading & major shipping line for shipments from the Far-East involved in the project.
Throughout the four years building process, a large number of shipments were made
under “K” Line services. This included weekly shipments of dozens of containers, which
included a combination of regular and special equipment. Intel was highly impressed by
“K” Line’s and Mano Maritime professionalism in promptly finding solutions for complex
shipments such as: irregular cargo measurements, necessity of surveys in each port due
to the sensitivity of the cargo and its high value, and so forth. In addition to a direct
discharge process (ship-to-truck) by special trucks equipped with shock-absorbers to
prevent damage to the cargo.
The massive project included more than 2,500 construction workers on site each month; more than 350 km of
electricity cables were installed, 100 km of pipelines, and more than 350 hi-tech machines were installed in the
new areas. The project was constructed under the strict ISO 9001 standards.
In recognition of the successful completion of the project, and in acknowledgement of the fruitful collaboration,
Intel has arranged a special event in which it bestowed “K” Line and Mano Maritime a special recognition of contribution for the project. Naturally, such gratitude by one of the most respective companies worldwide is a great honor for “K” Line and Mano
Maritime, and hopefully, would constitute a bridge for developing further cooperation in the future.
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News Roundup
Indonesian Triple-decker Motorcycle Carrier Finally
Crosses the Indian Ocean
Contributed by “K” Line (India) Private Limited Delhi
I would like to apologize for starting with a serious topic. Sales of twowheeled vehicles (motorcycles and scooters) in India are the second highest
in the world. Although the country’s domestic sales were 6.5-8 million in
2004-2005, in 2012 they had already reached 8.7 million by the end of
September, and are estimated to hit around 12 million by year-end. And
this country’s market is one of the most important ones for Japanese manufacturers. In India, with a population of 1.2 billion, motorcycles have not
yet spread widely to rural areas, and culture does not encourage women to
ride them. (Perhaps their sari might get in the way?) As can be seen in the
table, sales of two-wheeled vehicles in India rank #2 globally after China,
but there is still great market potential because ownership per 1,000 people
is only 49.
Population (10,000)
GDP per person (US$/person)
Sales of two-wheeled vehicles (10,000)
Popularization of two-wheel vehicles (vehicles/1,000 people)
Share in sales by Japanese manufacturers
Thailand
6,706
3,973
185
246
Over 90%
Malaysia Philippines Indonesia
2,776
9,223
23,155
7,469
1,721
2,224
55
76
737
314
35
210
Over 90% Over 90% Over 90%
Vietnam
8,721
1,052
268
292
Over 80%
China
India
133,430
120,328
3,566
1,033
1,918
867
72
49
Below 10% About 17%
As noted in the previous issue, “K” Line (India) has made inroads into the logistics businesses, recognizing the country’s poor road conditions
as a business opportunity. Introduction of the triple-decker motorcycle carrier finally commenced in November, after a year of efforts to learn
the secrets from greatly successful “K” Line Indonesia. Two-wheeled vehicles are transported in India in a single tier on trucks. In anticipation
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News Roundup
of high sales of the “Indonesian model” of carrier, we steadily worked on sales with Japanese manufacturers and ultimately won an order from
a company in July of this year.
Let me mention a few difficulties and errors we were up against.
1.In India, where road-worn trucks are the norm, shipping charges are extremely low. We tried as hard as we could to come up with viable rate
estimate, while part of me imagining to engage in an attractive and exclusive shipping business using a newly-built ship, because of being a
maritime company. Yet it is difficult to make a profit only carrying goods one-way. A number of times we considered abandoning the business.
2.We asked our partner company about methods for profiting from truck transport many times. Its staff responded “No problem” to everything,
but failed to have a full understanding of the Japanese way of thinking. A little more time seems to be needed to firmly shift to profitability.
3.We were able to acquire a truck head without difficulty, but had trouble obtaining a specialized chassis. The manufacturer stated the delivery
time for this would be a little over a month, and we placed an order despite our doubts about the exact delivery time. As we expected to happen
in India, the end-of-September deadline was postponed, first to early October, then further, and the vehicle was finally delivered on October 31.
Moreover, on the day of the trial, the hydraulic lift broke down and the truck had to be “docked.” The trial operation ultimately began on November
19, but we are certain that more difficulties await us.
Shown here is the brave figure of the Indian-made truck that was finally completed. We will start with short-distance transport, but hope to begin
medium- and long-distance transport in the near future when we can ship cargo of other manufacturers as well. All staff members are determined to
conquer India’s terrible road conditions. We would appreciate your continued support of “K” Line India.
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Special Feature
Introduction of “K” Line (Taiwan) Ltd.
Contributed by Mr. Yannic Lu, “K” Line (Taiwan) Ltd.
(Ni Zao!) This is how we start off a day at work greeting people (customers
and colleagues alike). Literally means “good morning”, arguably the most used
Chinese phrase in a day here in Taiwan. Though only 36,193 square kilometers
Mr. Yannic Lu has worked for KTW
in size, yet we harbor rich diversified cultures with people communicating in dif-
since 2011.
ferent languages and dialects. Another popular version of greetings in Taiwanese
As a salesman, his job is to maintain
Hokkien dialect is “Li Ho” (literally how are you).
and develop customer relationships.
Taiwan, known as “Formosa”, is an island in East Asia, that neighbors the
He enjoys various kinds of music,
People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the east and northeast,
books, movies, drama and dance in
and the Philippines to the south. Geographically Taiwan is ideally positioned for
his leisure time.
international trade and commerce, and as such historically we find several political
powers, such as Dutch, Spanish, Qing Dynasty and Japanese once had their foothold here in Taiwan. After the departure of each of these powers, they left behind
their marks, cultures and traditions, but today
we can still see traces of all those cultures.
Cuisine is most obvious, different kinds of food
ranging from European, Japanese, American,
Asian, etc. are readily and genuinely available
in this multicultural island.
The history of KTW (“K” Line Taiwan) traces
back to 1950s, when Taiwan government
started the concentration on trade and commerce, for which the need for transportation
including shipping became a necessity.
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Kaohsiung Port, one of the main ports in Taiwan
(Photo by DDM Xiao)
Mount Yu Shan, the highest mountain in Taiwan
with altitude 3,952m (photo by Kailing3)
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Special Feature
“K” Line, as one of the pioneers amongst Japanese carriers, extended its sea-route to Taiwan, At that time
our San Yang Group (Great Ocean Group later in 1974)
served as an agent and mainly handled “K” Line’s business in Taiwan. After several years as an agency, Great
Ocean’s decision to focus solely and to become agent
Landscape of Taipei — Night (photo by ryklin @flickr)
for “K” Line exclusively, therefore in 1990 Grocean
Shipping Agency was established to handle “K” Line’s
business in Taiwan. Then in 2005 Grocean Shipping
Agency became “K” Line Taiwan Ltd., with its continu-
KTW Taipei office
ity to provide and maintain good service to customers.
Today KTW has 103 experienced staffs stationed island wide in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung
offices, which are all able to deal with issues relevant to their respective department professionally
and efficiently with a common motto to provide satisfaction to our clients in order to maintain the
good reputation built on strong service quality. Focusing on container business and Pure Car Carrier,
together with some break bulk carrier, KTW handles about 40 sailings per week to and from three main
ports in Taiwan, i.e. Kaohsiung, Keelung, Taichung. We have a sales and marketing teams canvassing
both import and export cargo, who are in turn supported by a Operation team managing container
Landscape of Taipei — Dusk (photo by EtherH @flickr)
inventory, inland transportation, terminals/container depot and shipside operations. A dedicated
Documentation team holds an army not only ready to produce bills of lading and Delivery Order,
but more importantly to meet different criteria required in different origin/destination port/country.
Accounting and Information Technology team are not often seen on the frontline, but their presence
and participation are there in every single transaction done.
Staffs in KTW are fortunate to live in this beautiful island. Just as Spanish sailors called “Formosa”
in 16th century, there are plenty of species and various landscapes in the island. With annual
average temperature being around a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius and the lowest temperature,
generally ranging from 12 to 17 degrees Celsius (54-63 Fahrenheit) only, Taiwan is suitable
for traveling and holiday. We do welcome you to visit Taiwan and experience the beauty of
Landscape of Taipei — Street View (photo by Christopher Chan @ flickr)
OCEAN BREEZE No.164
“Formosa” for yourself.
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Special Feature
Sweets from All over the World!!! — Hong Kong
Contributed by Ms. Winnie Wong, “K” Line (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Hong Kong is not only the “paradise” for shopping, but for fine food as well.
There are many traditional sweets here. Let me introduce some of them to you.
Sweet soups or Tong Sui are common names
for dessert in Hong Kong. Tofu pudding
is one traditional Tong Sui. It is known
as Dou Fu Fa in Chinese. It is served
with sweet clear syrup. Tofu is soft
and silky and slid into your throat
effortlessly.
Potato sweet soup is another traditional
Dou Fu Fa with clear syrup and brown sugar
sweet which is served in sweet soup with
ginger and brown sugar. It can be eaten all year
The writer (right) and her colleagues
in a Tong Sui shop
around but particularly suitable in winter, as ginger
will warm you up.
Walnut sweet soup
Creamy walnut sweet soup is also a hot sweet soup.
You can really taste the walnut flavor. Yummy!
Walnut is good for nourishing the brain.
Sweet potato soup
Walnut with
black sesame soup
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Special Feature
Red bean brown sugar rice-cake (Put-Chai-Ko)
Put-Chai-Ko is a famous traditional sweet snack. It is a soft, palm-sized steamed rice-cake.
It is placed in a small bowl which is where the name “Put-chai” comes from. “Kao” means
pudding. The traditional put-chai-ko is made of brown sugar and adding red bean in it. Thus,
it is brown in color. For healthy condition, some people use sugar which is white in color. The
white rice-cake is less sweet and healthier.
When I was a kid, I sometimes saw the hawkers carrying a large metal case with clear plastic
front containing the wafers.
When you placed an order, the hawker would carefully take a piece of rice-crepe from underneath
a moist towel. A wafer would be placed in the middle of the rice-crepe following by sprinkling with
sugar, roasted sesame seeds, and shredded coconut. The whole thing is wrapped up and placed
into a small brown paper bag. This is my favorite traditional sweet which is worth a try. But, there
are not many places selling it in Hong Kong nowadays.
If you travel to Hong Kong, don’t forget to try these yummy sweets.
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Special Feature
Things that Would Be Good to Know before You Visit Hong Kong!
Contributed by Ms. Cheung Janus, “K” Line (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Hong Kong people have a usual practice that they will avoid ordering seven dishes for their meal at the restaurant. Why we cannot order seven
dishes at the restaurant in Hong Kong? And, people will feel unpleased if they received a clock as a gift. Why it is not recommended giving a clock
as a gift to others? These are all related to our traditional culture.
According to the traditional funeral culture in Canton, after the funeral ceremony, the bereaved will arrange a banquet to the people who
participated in the funeral. We call this banquet as “consolation feast” (
). The purpose of having the consolation feast is to ease the sorrow of
family members, relatives and friends. There is a rule that the consolation feast will be served at seven main dishes with one dessert. In
addition, the meal will begin from the dessert as the first dish. We eat in reverse order because we believe that the bad thing will not
come again.
We avoid ordering seven dishes because we avoid having the meal as like as the consolation feast. Nowadays people (especially
the youngsters) may not care too much about ordering seven dishes, but usually the waiters will remind you to order one more
dishes (a number of eight dishes), and it will sounds better. Unlike other countries, Chinese does not find any lucky meaning
with the Number of “7”.
Apart from the meal, people will not give a clock as a gift to others in China. It is considered that the clocks represent
the passing of time. When you remind people that the time is passing, you are indirectly telling them that they are going
to die soon. In other words, the clock (
“
) has the same pronunciation as ending (
” means “giving a clock as a gift to someone” and “
), which means “the end, the death”.
” means attending funerals. The two homophonic phrases are
naturally connected. Therefore, the action of giving a clock carries a negative connotation. Today, especially among the
elderly, it is regarded as a sign of bad luck or a curse. To avoid the bad results which are brought by good intentions,
do remember not to give a clock as a gift to your Chinese friends or guests. However, the meaning of giving the clock
is different from giving a wrist watch (
). It is because the pronunciation is different.
The culture taboos in China arise from the attention that Chinese people give to homophones and puns. Probably
the most well-known example of this is that Chinese people do not like things that are related to the number 4.
Its pronunciation is almost the same as the word “dead” ( ) in Chinese, carrying suspicion that items marked by
number 4 will lead to an untimely death. This is the reason why some buildings do not have floors of 4, 14, 24 …
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Special Feature
BEM VINDO AO PORTO!
Contributed by Ms. Patrícia Rodrigues, “K” Line Oporto
When you arrive at Oporto airport you can see directly from there the red boxes from “K” Line
at our depot located near the Airport as if they’re saying to you “Welcome to Oporto!” BEM
VINDO ao PORTO!
Oporto is the second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon, and is one of the oldest European
centers, and was registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.
Last year the Oporto Airport was classified for the sixth consecutive year as one of the best
European Airports, by passengers.
The history of this city is strongly connected with the Douro River and the Atlantic Ocean;
the city was born and developed from the northern bank of this river during the middle Ages.
One of the most significant aspects of Oporto and its historical centre is its landscape, combining harmony with the urban
structure and presenting a frame of rare beauty.
Recently elected as one of the best places in the world to visit and benefiting from the large choice of Low cost flights,
Oporto has become a desirable destination.
We want to show you why Oporto must be visited.
Oporto offers you a rich diversity for spending your days such as Douro Cruises, visit to our wine cellars, exbitions of
Art, Music and Cinema events, sports events, Food and Wine tasting.
Weather
located in the south of Europe we have a moderate climate which invites you for long walks starting in Ribeira, along the Douro river, and ending at Foz by the Atlantic ocean; Summers are typically sunny with average temperatures between 15 °C
(59 °F) and 25 °C (77 °F) but can rise to as high as 35 °C (95 °F) during occasional heat waves.
Downtown
one of the most beautiful places in the city; here you can see old buildings, some of them recognized
international as Torre dos Clérigos (Clerics Tower), Palácio das Cardosas (Cardosas Palace), Igreja de São
Francisco (Church of Saint Francis) Mercado do Bolhão( Bolhao market), Livraria Lello (Lello Bookstore)
and many others; also Downtown we can enjoy a nice walk along Rua Santa Catarina starting at Majestic
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Special Feature
Café for a delicious coffee and then you’re in the perfect place for shopping.
Downtown is the current center for nightlife, where streets are completely full of people of all ages.
In June we have the popular S. Joao Festival, a very typical party in the downtown streets with spectacular fireworks over the river.
Football
when we talk about Oporto city its impossible to not think about FC Porto, the biggest team in the city and one of the best in Europe; last
year it was the winner of the European Cup. Mourinho, the best coach in world, started his victorious career in FC Porto in 2003, winning the
European cup and the following year the European Champions League.
Porto is the only Portuguese team that has won the Intercontinental Cup twice, played in Tokyo and sponsored by Toyota, contested between
the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores — the first game was in 1987 against Peñarol from Uruguay, a
wonderful match with snow which we won 2/1. The team went to Tokyo again seventeen years later, in 2004 to play against Once Caldas from
Colombia; FC Porto won again and was the last team to won this trophy as in 2004 it was the last year of this competition.
Gastronomy
Portugal is known for its the delicious food. Oporto has plenty of wonderful places to enjoy our food, choosing one place won’t be easy; Tripas à moda do Porto (a historical dish that gave the name to the citizens of
Oporto as “Tripeiros”), Francesinha (a sandwich with a very special sauce), Bacalhau à Gomes de Sà (the
famous Cod fish) are some examples of our varied offer.
Wine
Famous all over the world is our “Vinho do Porto ”(Port Wine or simply Port) , is a very rich wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley. Port
is produced from grapes grown and processed in the demarcated Douro region. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine,
and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Close to the Douro River, in the neighboring city of V.N.Gaia, you can see and visit the “Caves”
where the wine is stored and taste it.
All of the North of Portugal is recognized for its excellent wine, not only the Port Wine, for example Alvarinho Wine, a superior sparkling
vinho verde wine which should be served chilled, ideal for summer time and perfect to go with Fish dishes. If you prefer meat we also have a
great red wine also from Douro Valley, this wine has dense dark colour, fine aromas of Douro complexed by noble wood and a finish normally
associated with wines of international class.
These are just a few aspects about Oporto and we don’t want to tell you everything now, the rest you’ll discover when you visit our city. One
thing we know, if you visit Oporto once, you’ll want to visit it twice!!
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Editor’s Log
Happy New Year.
The other day, along with another colleague from our team, I
participated in a warm and fuzzy meeting called the Cat Meeting. I felt
a bit guilty about taking part because I actually like dogs too, but I was
also pleased to be invited to the world of cats. It was truly an enjoyable and exciting night.
Speaking of cats, when I was traveling by myself in Italy, I found a
little shop in Venice selling cat objects. The shop owner asked me if I
Ocean Breeze and “K” Line News are looking for color photographs!!!!
liked cats, and suddenly became excited when I told him I have four!
Landscapes near the port visited that are not found elsewhere, snapshots taken while
He went into the back of the shop for a minute and came back with
photographs of his three cats. “How lovely!” I said. “Aren’t they?” We
traveling, and photographs taken in the past are acceptable. Send in your favorite photographs from those you have taken. A photograph competition is held once a year. The first
place winners are awarded a wonderful prize! Your efforts are always welcome.
hit it off right away, and the price of the cat object I was going to buy
was cut in half. All around the world, there are people enchanted by
cats.
One of my cats just passed by me and gave a questioning meow
Instructions for Sending in Your Photographs
(Send to: Information and Public Relations Team, IR & PR Group)
Theme of photographs:
unrestricted, as a rule (portraits of individuals and pet photos are not accepted)
while I was writing this postscript, and then wildly lapped the water in
the goldfish bowl (with Japanese rice-fish inside) that sits by the TV.
Watching in amazement, my jaw dropped suddenly. I felt the tension
in my shoulders immediately slip away. To close this postscript, let me
post a haiku on cats’ lifestyles.
The cat eats/plays, sleeps and eats again/in the New Year as well
I know we live in a busy world, but let’s move forward in good cheer
and with energy, and every now and then relax like cats.
Wishing the best for everyone in the year 2013! (Cat)
Composition:
please send photographs laid out in a way that allows the portion you wish to show to
appear properly
◆G
uideline for image data: at least 3,000 pixels lengthwise x 2,000 pixels widthwise;
volume up to about 2 MB
◆A
void small images photographed using a mobile phone, etc.
◆P
rovide a description of the location in the photograph (80 to 90 characters)
◆P
lease note that the copyright belongs to “K” Line.
Publication
Photographs will be published in each issue.
OCEAN BREEZE No.164