OOCL announces the christening of the newest 8,888 TEU newbuilding at a naming ceremony held on Changxing Island in Shanghai today. Named the OOCL Taipei by Sponsor Mrs. Mylene Seah, this SX-class containership is the latest addition to the OOCL fleet and will be serving the Trans-Pacific trade, linking markets in Asia and North America, the company said in its press release.
Designed and built with operating efficiency objectives, OOCL Taipei adopts the latest and most modern shipbuilding technologies to optimize sailing performance whereby energy consumption can be reduced and air emissions minimized to improve our environment and help support more sustainable global supply chains.
In his ceremonial address, Mr. C. C. Tung, Chairman of Orient Overseas (International) Limited, emphasized the importance of successful business partnerships and expressed his gratitude to the shipbuilder for their support to OOCL. “It is with great pleasure for me to acknowledge an important partner that has been by our side over the years in building our fleet – they are the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Company,” said Mr. Tung. “Hudong-Zhonghua is one of the finest shipbuilders in the industry and we have had the honor of working with them to witness many of these magnificent vessels being built as shining examples of their skill, dedication and craftsmanship in building top quality ships.”
In appreciation of the financial support to making the construction of OOCL Taipei possible, OOCL was honored to share the special occasion with representatives of DBS Bank, including Mr. Peter Seah, Chairman of DBS Bank Limited, as our Guest of Honor. “Mr. Seah’s presence here today means a great deal to us,” said Mr Tung. “We really appreciate DBS Bank for their continued support in providing us with the quality financial services that they are well known for and we have a lot to look forward to as we further deepen our partnership in the many more years to come!”
In his remarks at the ceremony, Mr. Seah also thanked OOCL for the years of collaboration and the invitation to join in the special occasion. “Your invitation to me as today’s Guest of Honor and my wife, Mylene as sponsor, honors not just the both of us but all my colleagues in DBS," said Mr. Seah. "As much as we are proud to be your banker, we are equally proud to be here for the launching of OOCL Taipei and to take part in this important event to christen the latest addition to the family."
OOCL Taipei is the fifth of the eight 8,888 TEU vessels that OOCL had commissioned Hudong-Zhonghua to build. She will begin her service on OOCL’s Trans-Pacific CEC (China East Coast Express) service with the following port rotation: New York / Savannah / Charleston / Norfolk / via Suez Canal / Jeddah / Singapore / Cai Mep / Hong Kong / Shekou / Yantian / Singapore / New York.
“Orient Overseas Container Line” and “OOCL” are trade names for transportation provided separately by: Orient Overseas Container Line Limited (“OOCLL”) and OOCL (Europe) Limited respectively and both are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Orient Overseas (International) Limited, a public company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Headquartered in Hong Kong, OOCL is one of the world's largest integrated international container transportation and logistics companies, with more than 320 offices in 65 countries. Linking Asia, Europe, North America, the Mediterranean, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East and Australia/New Zealand, the company offers transportation services to all major east/west trading economies of the world. OOCL is one of the leading international carriers serving China, providing a full range of logistics and transportation services throughout the country. It is also an industry leader in the use of information technology and e-commerce to manage the entire cargo process.