Hong Kong-based ocean carrier line OOCL has knocked Maersk from the largest containership top spot after christening the 21,413 TEU OOCL Hong Kong at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard.
Three new ships have broken the record so far in 2017 after the 20,568 TEU Madrid Maersk came on the shipping scene in April to trump the 20,150 TEU MOL Triumph's title claim the month before.
The last time that OOCL broke the record was back in April 2003 with the OOCL Shenzhen, an 8,063 TEU vessel, also built at the SHI shipyard.
As part of the Ocean Alliance, OOCL Hong Kong will be serving the Asia-Europe trade lane on the LL1 service in a 77-day round trip to the ports in Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Yantian, Singapore, Suez Canal, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Gdansk, Wilhelmshaven.
C. C. Tung, Chairman of Orient Overseas (International) Limited, said: “This is a very exciting time for all of us because today marks the first time that OOCL is receiving newbuildings in the 21 thousand TEU size.
“In fact, the OOCL Hong Kong will be a titan among containerships at sea, with a carrying capacity at 21,413 TEU.
“While our industry seems to have the knack to ‘out do’ one another in building larger containerships relatively quickly these days, this project is nonetheless an important moment for us.
“Faced with increasing competition and un-ending pressure on costs, we need to take the bold step in operating larger size ships of quality and high efficiency in order to stay relevant and compete effectively as a major container shipping company.”
