Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has introduced the first 24,000 TEU vessel to its fleet.
The new vessel was officially named “OOCL Spain” at a ceremony held on 16 February in Nantong, China at the No.2 outfitting quay of Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co. (NACKS), which built the ship.
The OOCL Spain is capable of carrying up to 24,188 TEU, and has a total length of almost 400 metres and a width of 61.3 metres.
The vessel has been awarded three ‘Smart Ship’ notations by the American Bureau of Shipping (“ABS”).
This recognises that the ships use of the latest intelligent technology onboard, together with big data acquisition, will optimise the operations of the OOCL Spain.
These optimisations include enabling fuel efficiency improvements, gains in structural health monitoring, and long-term navigational safety.
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The naming ceremony of the OOCL Spain was successfully completed in the presence of a number of guests, including representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, governmental departments from Jiangsu Province and Nantong, management executives and colleagues from COSCO SHIPPING Group, COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry, COSCO SHIPPING Holdings, COSCO SHIPPING Lines, and many customers and business partners.
OOCL Spain is the first of a series of six 24,188 TEU vessels ordered by OOCL in 2020 to be delivered by NACKS.
OOCL’s Chief Operating Officer, Kenny Ye, said: “OOCL Spain is not only the first new building that has been delivered to us in over five years, but it is also OOCL’s first vessel with a capacity over 24,000 TEU.
“I would like to thank NACKS, who, using their own research and development and technological capabilities, have designed this mega vessel, equipped with the most advanced eco-friendly and intelligent technologies,” Ye added.
This introduction comes a less than a week after OOCL announced that the company experienced a growth in total revenues by 19.1 per cent reaching $18.6 billion for the financial year of 2022.
