OOCL christens fourth 21,413-TEU containership

One of the largest cargo vessels ever sail, the OOCL United Kingdom measures 399.8 meters in length and weighs 191,317 deadweight tons (dwt), with capacity for up to 21,413 TEUs, according to OOCL.    OOCL on Sept. 27 commemorated the christening of the OOCL United Kingdom, the fourth of six ultra-large containerships ordered by the Hong Kong-based shipping line from Korean builder Samsung Heavy Industries.
   The OOCL United Kingdom is a 21,413-TEU containership measuring, like all vessels in the series, 399.8 meters in length (1,311 feet), 58.8 meters wide, has a depth of 32.5 meters (106.6 feet), and weighs 191,317 deadweight tons (dwt).
   The first vessel in the series was the OOCL Hong Kong, which was delivered in May, and was followed by OOCL Germany in August. The OOCL Japan was dedicated in South Korea on Sept. 1.
   “We are delighted to be adding these state-of-the-art titans at sea ‘G Class’ containerships into our fleet,” OOCL Chief Financial Officer Alan Tung said during the naming ceremony.
   OOCL said earlier this month that all vessels in the series are expected to be delivered by the end of the first quarter of 2018.
   Samsung Heavy Industries received the order from OOCL for the six vessels in April 2015, costing the shipping line about $950 million, the shipbuilder said back in 2015.
   Earlier this month, the OOCL Germany joined OOCL Hong Kong on the Asia-Europe LL1 service, which has a rotation of Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Yantian, Singapore, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Gdansk, Wilhemshaven, Felixstowe, Singapore, Yantian and Shanghai.
   According to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting, the LL1 is operated by the OCEAN Alliance, a vessel sharing agreement on major east-west trades that includes OOCL, CMA CGM, APL, COSCO and Evergreen Line. The loop deploys 11 vessels – eight provided by OOCL and three provided by COSCO – with an average capacity of 13,228 TEUs.