K Line has made a positive financial start to 2019 reporting a return to profit in the first quarter, figures released early Wednesday show.

The smaller of Japan’s “big three” public shipowner booked a net profit of JPY 7.8bn ($72.1m) versus the loss of JPY 19.3bn seen 12 months earlier.

An improved performance at containership tie-up Ocean Network Express (ONE) was one of the main drivers behind the return to the black.