KMC

What KMC does

KMC Line (케이엠씨해운 주식회사) is a South Korean maritime logistics company founded on February 23, 1989, headquartered in Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do. The company specializes in coastal and international shipping of steel coils, steel plates, wire rods, slabs, petroleum coke, limestone, and heavy industrial equipment. It serves a concentrated set of major Korean industrial clients, principally POSCO (since 1989), Hyundai Steel, and Hyundai Oilbank, under direct long-term charter contracts. Its competitive core rests on proprietary vessel designs — the Steel Coil Ro-Ro Carrier, the Steel Plate Ro-Ro Carrier, the Petroleum Coke Carrier, and a fleet of 1,216 Steel Coil Cassettes — which enable loading and unloading of steel coils in adverse weather conditions.

The company operates four integrated service lines: Coastal Shipping (domestic transport using specialized Ro-Ro and bulk carriers), Global Shipping (international routes across Asia, North America, and Oceania), Heavy Cargo Shipping (worldwide transport of plant and industrial equipment via owned and leased heavy cargo carriers), and Offshore Wind Support (CTV and SOV vessel services via the KESTO joint venture with Denmark's ESVAGT, with a long-term Vestas contract for 2028-2039). KMC owns and operates a fleet of 7 vessels totaling approximately 37,000 DWT and employs around 135 staff (36 onshore, 99 seafarers). The company is privately held under the Tiandi Partners consortium, which acquired it in 2020; it rebranded to KMC Line in 2021 and reported FY2025 sales revenue of approximately KRW 63.9 billion. Its sole subsidiary is KMC Blue Whale, used for vessel ownership and maritime operations.

KMC's revenue model is transaction-fee based: vessel chartering and freight contracts are negotiated directly with enterprise clients at undisclosed pricing. The GTM motion is direct-to-enterprise B2B through dedicated account management, with no intermediaries. The company holds ISM Code certification (since 2002), multiple Presidential Commendations (1999, 2014, 2023), and consecutive Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Grand Prizes (2006, 2007), reinforcing its standing as a leading Korean coastal shipping operator.

Name

KMC

Legal name

케이엠씨해운 주식회사

Website

https://kmclines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

KMC Line is a South Korean maritime logistics company that transports steel coils, plates, petroleum coke, and heavy industrial equipment for major Korean industrial clients including POSCO, Hyundai Steel, and Hyundai Oilbank, using a proprietary specialized fleet of 7 vessels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Shipping and Cargo Logistics

NAICS

Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation (483113), Marine Cargo Handling (48832)

SIC

Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Breakbulk & Project Cargo Handling (Heavy Lift, Out-of-Gauge Handling) (TLAHALAH)

Keywords

• Coastal cargo shipping
• Steel coil transportation
• Heavy cargo logistics
• Maritime vessel chartering
• Offshore wind vessel support

Headquarters

HQ city

Dongan

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Coastal Shipping Services: Domestic Korean coastal shipping of steel coils, plates, wire rods, slabs, limestone, and petroleum coke using specialized Ro-Ro and bulk carriers. Revenue generated through vessel charter contracts and freight fees with major industrial clients.
2. Global Shipping Services: International shipping services covering routes to North America, Southeast Asia, Australia, India, and Taiwan. Exports steel products and imports raw materials for Korean clients.
3. Heavy Cargo Shipping: Transportation of heavy industrial equipment and project cargo worldwide using owned and leased Heavy Cargo Carriers.
4. Offshore Wind Support: Joint venture KESTO provides offshore wind farm maintenance support, including crew transfer vessel deployment for wind farm operators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

KMC Line provides maritime logistics services focused on transporting steel products, bulk cargo, petroleum coke, limestone, and heavy industrial equipment using a fleet of 7 specialized vessels. Its services span domestic Korean coastal shipping, international shipping to Asia, North America, and Oceania, heavy cargo transportation, and offshore wind farm maintenance support via the KESTO joint venture. The company relies on proprietary vessel designs including Steel Coil Ro-Ro Carriers, Steel Plate Ro-Ro Carriers, and Petroleum Coke Carriers.

Product overview

KMC Line operates as an integrated maritime logistics company offering four core service lines: Coastal Shipping (domestic transportation of steel and energy products using specialized Ro-Ro carriers and bulkers), Global Shipping (international cargo transport to Asia, North America, and Australia), Heavy Cargo Shipping (worldwide transport of plant equipment and heavy industry cargo), and Offshore Wind Support (vessel-based maintenance and operational support for offshore wind farms). The company owns and operates a fleet of 7 vessels totaling 37,000 DWT, including Coil Ro-Ro Carriers, Global Bulkers, Plate Ro-Ro Carriers, and Petroleum Coke Carriers. KMC's proprietary innovations include Steel Coil Ro-Ro Carriers and Coil Cassettes for adverse weather operations, supplemented by strategic backhaul arrangements for multiple clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coastal Shipping (내항화물운송) Domestic Korean coastal shipping services transporting steel coils, steel plates, petroleum coke, and limestone using specialized vessels including Steel Coil Ro-Ro Carriers, Steel Plate Ro-Ro Carriers, and Petroleum Coke Carriers. Targets major Korean steel mills and energy producers.
• Global Shipping (외항화물운송) International shipping services covering routes to Asia (China, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan), North America (USA, Canada), Oceania (Australia), South Asia (India), and Southeast Asia (Indonesia), transporting steel products and raw materials including coils, plates, wire rods, slabs, and petroleum coke.
• Heavy Cargo Shipping (중량물운송)

Quantifiable outcome

• Market leadership in domestic coastal shipping for steel products
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ESVAGTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026KMC Line formed a joint venture called KESTO with Denmark-based ESVAGT to provide offshore wind farm maintenance support services in South Korea. The JV secured a long-term contract (2028-2039) to deploy two crew transfer vessels at the Shinan-Ui offshore wind farm for Vestas, expected to supply electricity to approximately 350,000 households.
• Daymer IngredientsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2025KMC signed a distribution agreement with UK-based Daymer Ingredients in May 2025, expanding its presence in the food ingredient distribution market as part of the potato starch supply chain.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heung-A Shipping Co., Ltd. Korean mid-sized shipping company operating bulk carriers and container vessels on regional Asia-Pacific routes. Comparable to KMC in serving Korean industrial clients with specialized vessel tonnage across coastal and regional trades.
• Korea Line Corporation: Korean bulk shipping company operating a fleet of bulk carriers and specialized vessels across global routes. Comparable to KMC's bulk cargo, steel product, and heavy lift ocean transportation service lines, particularly for Korean industrial clients.
• Sinokor Merchant Marine Co., Ltd. Korean regional coastal and short-sea shipping operator with a fleet of specialized carriers serving Korea, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. Closely comparable to KMC in coastal shipping of steel and industrial cargoes with multi-country route coverage.
• Pan Ocean Co., Ltd. Korean bulk carrier and breakbulk specialist with a global shipping network and a fleet of bulk carriers, tankers, and specialized vessels. Directly comparable to KMC in specialized bulk and breakbulk ocean freight across Asia-Pacific and Americas routes.
• ESVAGT A/S: Danish offshore wind service vessel operator and KMC's JV partner in KESTO. Directly comparable to KMC's offshore wind support business line and provides a benchmark for CTV/SOV operations at European offshore wind farms.
• Polaris Shipping Co., Ltd. Korean dry bulk and specialized carrier serving steel mills and industrial clients globally, including Cape-size and Panamax bulkers. Comparable to KMC's global shipping segment for raw materials and steel-related bulk commodities.

Broad incumbents

• Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL): Japanese global shipping giant with a diversified fleet of bulkers, tankers, car carriers, and specialized Ro-Ro/breakbulk vessels. Comparable to KMC's heavy cargo, breakbulk steel, and global shipping service lines, with stronger scale and global agency network.
• HMM Co., Ltd. (Hyundai Merchant Marine): Korea's largest container shipping line and a major global ocean carrier. Overlaps with KMC on Korean-origin international shipping and global freight services, though HMM is far larger and primarily focused on container shipping rather than specialized breakbulk and heavy cargo.
• SK Ocean (formerly SK Shipping): Korean shipping arm of SK Group with a diversified fleet of tankers, LNG carriers, and bulkers. Overlaps with KMC on petroleum coke and energy-related bulk cargo transportation for major Korean industrial clients.

Regional players

• Dongnama Shipping Co., Ltd. Korean coastal and regional shipping operator serving steel mills and industrial clients on Asia-Pacific routes. Closely comparable to KMC's coastal shipping segment, especially for steel coils and plates transported between Korean ports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kmcline

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KMC