OOCL Takes Delivery of 8,888 TEU Newbuilding, the OOCL Genoa
At a christening ceremony held on Changxing Island in Shanghai today, OOCL celebrated the naming of the latest 8,888 TEU containership that will be joining the company’s fleet this year.
In front of many honorable guests and institutional supporters, the OOCL Genoa was named by Vessel Sponsor Mrs. Tamiko Onaka at the newest shipyard of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., offering blessings to the ship and her crew when she begins serving the OOCL South China 2 service, linking two of the world’s largest economies today.
Among other distinguished guests was the Sponsor’s husband, Mr. Koichi Onaka, Managing Executive Officer of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, as our Guest of Honor, and Mr. Hisanaga Tanimura, President and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Products Group who also joined the celebration to welcome the OOCL Genoa.
Sponsor of OOCL Genoa, Mrs. Tamiko Onaka performing the naming formality
In his ceremonial remarks, Mr. Alan Tung, Acting Chief Financial Officer of Orient Overseas (Internatio
nal) Limited, expressed the importance of the newbuilding projects at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in recent years and his gratitude to all those who made OOCL Genoa and her sister ships possible. “In today’s extremely competitive environment, cost and operational efficiency is paramount to our performance and these magnificent vessels, like that of OOCL Genoa which we are about to unveil, plays a very important part to our success,” said Mr. Tung. “OOCL Genoa, together with the other seven sister vessels being built here at Hudong, will form part of our core fleet and play an important role in allowing OOCL to maintain its competitive edge in the market.”
“OOCL continues to be an industry leader in terms of operational excellence and financial robustness. Our company is well placed for the future in its ability to deliver superior performance, upgrade its assets, and provide the best possible service quality at the most cost efficient way possible. OOCL is committed in its drive to deliver industry-leading operating margins. In addition, we are deliberate in our efforts to balance the need for a strong and liquid balance sheet, necessary in a capital intensive business, with an industry-competitive shareholder return.”
In his remarks at the ceremony, Mr. Onaka also thanked OOCL for the collaboration on the OOCL Genoa and the invitation to join in the special occasion. “The christening ceremony is such a grand and successful occasion. I am so proud to be here, and I thank OOCL for giving my wife, Tamiko, the great honor to name and bless the vessel. It is an experience she and I will never forget."
The OOCL Genoa will be serving the Trans-Pacific trade lane on the South China 2 service where her port rotation is: Da Chan Bay / Hong Kong / Yantian / Kaohsiung / Long Beach / Kaohsiung / Xiamen / Hong Kong / and Da Chan Bay in 42-day round trip.
“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 (0316) 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 70 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.