OOCL names third 21,000-TEU containership

The newly christened OOCL Japan is expected to serve the Asia-Europe trade lane on the OCEAN Alliance’s LL1 service, which was launched in April.    The third in OOCL’s line of six 21,000-TEU class containerships, previously known as just Hull number H2174, was officially named the OOCL Japan at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea on Sept. 1.
   The OOCL Japan, which is about 400 meters long (1,311 feet), has a breadth of 58.8 meters nearly 193 feet) and a depth of 32.5 meters (106.6 feet).
   The newly named vessel is expected to serve the Asia-Europe trade lane on the LL1 service, which was launched in April. The port rotation of the LL1 is Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Yantian, Singapore, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Gdansk, Wilhelmshaven, Felixstowe, Singapore, Yantian, and back to Shanghai on a 77-day round trip.
   “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 21,000-TEU class vessels, the largest containerships in the world to date,” OOCL CEO Andy Tung said.
   The naming ceremony came the same week that the Guinness Book of World Records officially confirmed OOCL Japan’s sister vessel, the 21,413-TEU OOCL Hong Kong, as the world’s biggest container ship.
   To put this in perspective, the last time OOCL set a Guinness World Records title was back in April 2003, when the 8,063-TEU OOCL Shenzhen was named the largest containership in the world.
   “We are very delighted to be setting yet another record with our long-time business partner,” Tung said.
   Regarding the timing of the deployment of its 21,413 TEU vessels, Tung said that OOCL has shown improving economic growth this year.
   “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,” he said. “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.”