Orient Overseas Container Line Co., Ltd. (OOCL) has named its twelfth 24,188 TEU mega-ship “OOCL Portugal.”
The new vessel — named at Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. (NACKS) shipyard — is the last in the 24,188 TEU eco-friendly mega vessel series.
Michael Xu, director and member of the Executive Committee of OOCL, said the naming of the company's latest 24,188 TEU new vessel represents a "significant milestone" for OOCL's development.
"The delivery of this series of mega vessels not only optimized the operational safety of vessels but also provided us with the advantages of energy efficiency and economies of scale, allowing OOCL to provide better and greener services to enhance our competitiveness in the face of future challenges," he added.
"OOCL will stay true to our mission of providing first-class shipping services and being the vital link to world trade, and the commitment to pursuing excellence," Xu further said.
OOCL invited Laura Liang Aron, director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai, to name the new vessel and Ni Zhao, regional head (Shanghai) of the Hong Kong Shipping Registry, as a special guest.
Meanwhile, while OOCL did not specify where the new mega vessel will be deployed, the other new builds of OOCL on the same weight class are serving OOCL's Asia-Europe service LL1.
The two 24,188 TEU mega vessels introduced in June will follow the Qingdao - Shanghai - Ningbo - Xiamen - Yantian - Singapore - Cape of Good Hope - Felixstowe - Zeebrugge - Gdansk - Wilhelmshaven - Cape of Good Hope - Singapore - Yantian - Qingdao port rotation.