Page 13 - Port of Baltimore - May/June 2017

SHIPPING
“K” Line transports donated emergency vehicles to El Salvador — free of charge
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. —
also known as “K” Line — provided free ocean transportation for emergency-response vehicles donated to the Republic of
El Salvador in April.
The donations, which include a fire engine and two ambulances, were donated by the Japan Firefighters Association. With assistance from Daito Corporation, an affiliate of “K” Line, the donations were loaded onto a pure car carrier in Yokohama on April 18, en route to El Salvador.
“To contribute to the well-being of international society, mainly
in terms of improvement of fire defense systems in developing countries, [the] Japanese Firefighters Association has been donating fire engines used in Japan to countries overseas,” “K” Line said in an April 20 announcement. The most recent donation is part of this effort.
“K” Line has provided free trans- portation of emergency vehicles to El Salvador since 2014. Altogether, seven fire engines and five ambu- lances have made their way to the country on four separate voyages.
In addition to supporting firefighting and other life-saving activities, the donated vehicles are used for “extracurricular safety measures,” said “K” Line. Those include, for example, efforts to teach Salvadoran children how to prevent accidents and fires. 􏰀
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL MCALLEN
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