OCEAN BREEZE No.164

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No.166 2013 Winter

News Roundup ............................................................................ P1-3 “K” Line (Israel) Awarded Special Recognition by Intel (Israel) Indonesian Triple-decker Motorcycle Carrier Finally Crosses the Indian Ocean

Special Feature ..........................................................................P4-10 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

Contents

OCEAN BREEZE No.164

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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 contri-

bution 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.

“K” Line (Israel) Awarded Special Recognition by Intel (Israel)

News Roundup

Contributed by Mr. Moran Mano, Executive Manager, Mano Maritime Ltd, “K” Line agents in Israel

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I would like to apologize for starting with a serious topic. Sales of two-

wheeled 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 manu-

facturers. 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.

Thailand Malaysia Philippines Indonesia Vietnam China IndiaPopulation (10,000) 6,706 2,776 9,223 23,155 8,721 133,430 120,328GDP per person (US$/person) 3,973 7,469 1,721 2,224 1,052 3,566 1,033Sales of two-wheeled vehicles (10,000) 185 55 76 737 268 1,918 867Popularization of two-wheel vehicles (vehicles/1,000 people) 246 314 35 210 292 72 49Share in sales by Japanese manufacturers Over 90% Over 90% Over 90% Over 90% Over 80% 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

Indonesian Triple-decker Motorcycle Carrier Finally Crosses the Indian Ocean

News Roundup

Contributed by “K” Line (India) Private Limited Delhi

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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.

News Roundup

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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)

Mr. Yannic Lu has worked for KTW

since 2011.

As a salesman, his job is to maintain

and develop customer relationships.

He enjoys various kinds of music,

books, movies, drama and dance in

his leisure time.

(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

in size, yet we harbor rich diversified cultures with people communicating in dif-

ferent languages and dialects. Another popular version of greetings in Taiwanese

Hokkien dialect is “Li Ho” (literally how are you).

Taiwan, known as “Formosa”, is an island in East Asia, that neighbors the

People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the east and northeast,

and the Philippines to the south. Geographically Taiwan is ideally positioned for

international trade and commerce, and as such historically we find several political

powers, such as Dutch, Spanish, Qing Dynasty and Japanese once had their foot-

hold 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 com-

merce, for which the need for transportation

including shipping became a necessity.

Contributed by Mr. Yannic Lu, “K” Line (Taiwan) Ltd.

Special Feature

Introduction of “K” Line (Taiwan) Ltd.

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KTW Taipei office

Landscape of Taipei — Dusk (photo by EtherH @flickr)

Landscape of Taipei — Street View (photo by Christopher Chan @ flickr)

Landscape of Taipei — Night (photo by ryklin @flickr)

“K” Line, as one of the pioneers amongst Japanese car-

riers, 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 busi-

ness in Taiwan. After several years as an agency, Great

Ocean’s decision to focus solely and to become agent

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-

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

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

“Formosa” for yourself.

Special Feature

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The writer (right) and her colleagues in a Tong Sui shop

Walnut with black sesame soup

Dou Fu Fa with clear syrup and brown sugar

Sweet potato soup

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

sweet which is served in sweet soup with

ginger and brown sugar. It can be eaten all year

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.

Contributed by Ms. Winnie Wong, “K” Line (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Special Feature

Sweets from All over the World!!! — Hong Kong

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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.

Special Feature

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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 ( ), which means “the end, the death”.

“ ” means “giving a clock as a gift to someone” and “ ” 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 …

Contributed by Ms. Cheung Janus, “K” Line (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Special Feature

Things that Would Be Good to Know before You Visit Hong Kong!

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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 end-

ing 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

Contributed by Ms. Patrícia Rodrigues, “K” Line Oporto

Special Feature

BEM VINDO AO PORTO!

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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 Penarol 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, choos-

ing 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!!

Special Feature

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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 enjoy-

able 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

liked cats, and suddenly became excited when I told him I have four!

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

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

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)

Ocean Breeze and “K” Line News are looking for color photographs!!!!

Landscapes near the port visited that are not found elsewhere, snapshots taken while

traveling, and photographs taken in the past are acceptable. Send in your favorite photo-

graphs 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.

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)

Composition: please send photographs laid out in a way that allows the portion you wish to show to

appear properly

◆ Guideline for image data: at least 3,000 pixels lengthwise x 2,000 pixels widthwise;

volume up to about 2 MB

◆ Avoid small images photographed using a mobile phone, etc.

◆ Provide a description of the location in the photograph (80 to 90 characters)

◆ Please note that the copyright belongs to “K” Line.

PublicationPhotographs will be published in each issue.

Editor’s Log