OOCL Takes Over Final 8,888-TEU Boxship Newbuild

Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has welcomed into the fleet the final 8,888 TEU class containership from a series of eight ordered from the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding shipyard, the OOCL Ho Chi Minh City.

The containership was christened on Thursday at a ceremony held on Changxing Island in Shanghai and represents the last newbuilding to be received by OOCL this year.

The first two sister vessels were the OOCL Beijing and OOCL Canada delivered in 2011, followed by OOCL Miami the next year, OOCL Memphis in 2013, and OOCL Taipei, OOCL Utah, and OOCL Genoa in 2015.

“In today’s industry environment, many liner companies are reviewing every single bit of detail and at the most granular level in their operations to find ways to improve competitiveness.  Among these, building a strong and efficient fleet is critical in that process and I take this opportunity to acknowledge the shipyard’s professionalism, dedication to quality, and partnership to helping us achieve our objectives,” said OOCL Chief Executive Officer, Andy Tung.

The OOCL Ho Chi Minh City will be deployed in OOCL’s South China 2 (SC2) service operating in Trans-Pacific.

The boxship will have the following port rotation: Da Chan Bay / Hong Kong / Yantian / Kaohsiung / Long Beach / Kaohsiung / Xiamen / Hong Kong / Da Chan Bay in a 42-day round trip.