K Line European Sea Highway Services

KESS was created by K Line to both offer an intra Europe short sea service to Japanese car makers manufacturing cars in European plants, and to provide feeder carriage to smaller European ports not called at by larger oceanic vessels.[1]

The company in fact specializes in the domestic maritime transport and distribution of cargo such as automobiles, trucks, trailers, Mafi roll trailers, heavy construction machineries and further types of rolling freight.

The main trade lanes are domestic intra European, and specifically ports in North Continent Europe, including Germany, Belgium, UK,[2] Ireland, Scandinavia,[3] Baltic region and Russia.

The company operates 11 roll-on/roll-off ships.[4]

KESS ships are distinguished from those of its parent company K Line by having their hull painted in red as opposed to the grey of K Line.

On 21 September 2017, Greenpeace activists attempted to block the discharging of Volkswagen Suv and cars into Sheerness port, disrupting for several hours the operations of mv Elbe Highway.[5]

On 23 July 2018, car carrier vessel Makassar Highway ran aground at full speed in the Tjust archipelago near Loftahammar, Sweden, causing an oil spill.[6][7]

• 
  mv Danube Highway
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  mv Main Highway
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  mv Elbe Highway
• 
  mv Weser Highway
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  KESS vessel

• K Line
• United European Car Carriers
• Nissan Motor Car Carrier
• Euro Marine Logistics
• Toyofuji Shipping
• Nippon Yusen Kaisha

• K Line RORO – web site
• KESS website