ONE of the world biggest containership, the 21,413-TEU OOCL Hong Kong, has made her maiden call to the Port of Hong Kong docking at the Kwai Tsing terminal while on its way from Germany to Shanghai.
The vessel is owned by Orient Oversease Container Line (OOCL), which is now a unit of China sate-owned shipping giant Cosco.
The vessel's debut to the city of Hong Kong, an entrepot well known for its long and vibrant history in international trade and commerce, has a very special meaning for OOCL. Since the company's establishment in 1969, OOCL has been deeply rooted in Asia's World City, connecting local businesses from all sectors to markets around the world.
'Containerships like the OOCL Hong Kong are important ambassadors of world trade, and as a home carrier, we are very proud to have this vessel carry the name of Hong Kong, flying the flag of Hong Kong, and continue serving the industries of Hong Kong,' the shipping line said in a statement.
OOCL was joined by many business partners and special guests at a reception on board the OOCL Hong Kong to welcome a titan among the world's fleet of mega containerships.
Co-Chief Executive Officer of OOCL, Andy Tung hosted the event and commented: 'This is truly a milestone event for us at OOCL because the last time we welcomed a vessel with the same name in Hong Kong was back in 1995 which coincided with our company's 25th anniversary. It was a brand-new ship, with a capacity of 4,960 TEU, and warmly welcomed by a large crowd right here at the Hong Kong port in Kwai Chung.
'Twenty-five years later, we are here once again, welcoming the OOCL Hong Kong to the port on our 50th anniversary! This maiden call has special meaning to not only the people at OOCL, but to many citizens living here who may see the vessel as the pride of Hong Kong.'
In 1969, OOCL was the first Asian shipping line to ship goods by container. This first container sailing saw only 13 TEU transported from Hong Kong to Long Beach, California - a far cry by today's standard of moving goods in hundreds of thousands of TEU a day.
'OOCL and Hong Kong have indeed come a long way since that first sailing. Today, Hong Kong has one of the busiest and most efficient international container ports in the world, providing more than 300 liner services a week and linking Hong Kong to some 450 destinations worldwide,' the company said.
The OOCL Hong Kong and her sister vessels in its G-Class fleet, will continue to make regular calls to Hong Kong on the Asia-North Europe Loop 1 (LL1) service and her port rotation is: Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Yantian, Singapore, via Suez Canal, Felixstowe, Zeebrugge, Gdansk, Wilhelmshaven, Piraeus, via Suez Canal, Port Kelang, Hong Kong, Shanghai in a 77-day round trip.
WORLD SHIPPING
The vessel is owned by Orient Oversease Container Line (OOCL), which is now a unit of China sate-owned shipping giant Cosco.
The vessel's debut to the city of Hong Kong, an entrepot well known for its long and vibrant history in international trade and commerce, has a very special meaning for OOCL. Since the company's establishment in 1969, OOCL has been deeply rooted in Asia's World City, connecting local businesses from all sectors to markets around the world.
'Containerships like the OOCL Hong Kong are important ambassadors of world trade, and as a home carrier, we are very proud to have this vessel carry the name of Hong Kong, flying the flag of Hong Kong, and continue serving the industries of Hong Kong,' the shipping line said in a statement.
OOCL was joined by many business partners and special guests at a reception on board the OOCL Hong Kong to welcome a titan among the world's fleet of mega containerships.
Co-Chief Executive Officer of OOCL, Andy Tung hosted the event and commented: 'This is truly a milestone event for us at OOCL because the last time we welcomed a vessel with the same name in Hong Kong was back in 1995 which coincided with our company's 25th anniversary. It was a brand-new ship, with a capacity of 4,960 TEU, and warmly welcomed by a large crowd right here at the Hong Kong port in Kwai Chung.
'Twenty-five years later, we are here once again, welcoming the OOCL Hong Kong to the port on our 50th anniversary! This maiden call has special meaning to not only the people at OOCL, but to many citizens living here who may see the vessel as the pride of Hong Kong.'
In 1969, OOCL was the first Asian shipping line to ship goods by container. This first container sailing saw only 13 TEU transported from Hong Kong to Long Beach, California - a far cry by today's standard of moving goods in hundreds of thousands of TEU a day.
'OOCL and Hong Kong have indeed come a long way since that first sailing. Today, Hong Kong has one of the busiest and most efficient international container ports in the world, providing more than 300 liner services a week and linking Hong Kong to some 450 destinations worldwide,' the company said.
The OOCL Hong Kong and her sister vessels in its G-Class fleet, will continue to make regular calls to Hong Kong on the Asia-North Europe Loop 1 (LL1) service and her port rotation is: Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Yantian, Singapore, via Suez Canal, Felixstowe, Zeebrugge, Gdansk, Wilhelmshaven, Piraeus, via Suez Canal, Port Kelang, Hong Kong, Shanghai in a 77-day round trip.
WORLD SHIPPING