OOCL names third 21,000 TEU boxship
OOCL is very pleased to announce that Hull number H2174, the third in our line of six 21 thousand TEU class containerships, has been named as the OOCL Japan at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard.
Among industry friends, colleagues and business partners at the naming event, Mr. Andy Tung, Chief Executive Officer of OOCL, thanked all those who contributed to the success of the OOCL Japan, particularly the shipyard for all their support in their contribution to OOCL’s fleet of 21,413 TEU vessels.
“Samsung Heavy Industries is one of leading shipbuilders in the world, and we have always valued their level of commitment to quality and the versatility to tackle on new challenges, just as we are doing now to build these incredible 21 thousand TEU class vessels, the largest containerships in the world to date,” said Mr. Tung.
In fact, this would be the second time that OOCL is breaking records. The last time OOCL set a Guinness World Records title was for the largest containership back in April 2003 with the OOCL Shenzhen, an 8,063 TEU vessel.
“Once again, we are very delighted to be setting yet another record with our long-time business partner because earlier this week, we have been confirmed by the Guinness World Records that the OOCL Hong Kong has officially been recorded as the world’s biggest containership by carry capacity at 21,413 TEU.”
The OOCL Japan will be serving the Asia-Europe trade lane on the LL1 service and her port rotation is: Shanghai / Ningbo / Xiamen / Yantian / Singapore / via Suez Canal / Felixstowe / Rotterdam / Gdansk / Wilhelmshaven / Felixstowe / via Suez Canal / Singapore / Yantian / Shanghai in a 77-day round trip.
OOCL is pleased to say that their network operations with their alliance partners are continuing as planned and the new products, including the LL1 service, that were launched in April are settling in well.
Commenting on the timing of the deployment of their 21,413 TEU vessels this year, Mr Tung said: “The economic growth fundamentals continue to show further improvement so far this year, and under the new industry landscape, we are seeing signs of a stronger rebound after witnessing significant volume growth, increased liftings, and more sustainable rate levels that are positively impacting revenues in the first half of 2017. We are pleased to be rolling out these new vessels under the current environment, and look forward to solid demand growth on a much stronger trajectory.”