Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. announced that pure car carrier DRIVE GREEN HIGHWAY, managed by “K” LINE in-house ship management company “K” Line RoRo Bulk Ship Management Co., Ltd., has received a 2025 Best Quality Ship Award^*1 from the Japan Federation of Pilots’ Associations (JFPA).^*2

The Best Quality Ship Awards were established in 2003 to raise awareness about safe navigation and the protection of ports and the marine environment. The JFPA selects excellent vessels from the viewpoint of pilots by evaluating several aspects of the vessels, such as the condition of the vessels’ boarding arrangements, navigation equipment, discipline on board and the high-level safety awareness of crew members.

The JFPA comprehensively evaluated approximately 24,000 vessels that had requested pilot services in pilotage districts in Japan in September and October 2025, and then presented awards to ten vessels, including the DRIVE GREEN HIGHWAY.Certificates and plaques were presented by the JFPA at an award ceremony held in Tokyo, Japan on June 25, 2026.

The “K” LINE Group has set forth its vision of “providing safe and optimized services,”^*3 and it is advancing three policy pillars: enhancing its management structure to ensure safety in navigation, strengthening its ship management structure, and reinforcing the securing and training of maritime technical personnel. Going forward, the “K” LINE Group will improve safe navigation and transportation quality management to support the infrastructure of the global community.

From left:

Hiroshige Tanioka, President & C.E.Officer, “K” Line RoRo Bulk Ship Management Co., Ltd.
Capt. Yukinori Takao, President, JAPAN FEDERATION OF PILOTS’ASSOCIATIONS

*1         Details of the 2025 Best Quality Ship Awards (Japanese only):

https://pilot.or.jp/news/award_2025.htm

*2 Under the revised Pilotage Law, the JFPA was founded by a number of Pilots’ Associations in Japan in 2007. A pilot is a specialist who boards a vessel in waters such as ports and straits and supports its safe navigation based on local conditions, including geographical features and tidal currents.

JFPA website: https://pilot.or.jp/english/e_frame.htm

*3         “K” LINE’s policy on promoting safe navigation:

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/sustainability/social/safety.html