Hamburg Süd names new ship in Korea

On October 30, 2008, Hambrug Süd saw the christening of the "Rio Negro" at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. (DSME) yard in Okpo (Korea).

Following the "Rio de la Plata" and the "Rio de Janeiro", it is the third newbuilding in a series of six identical container vessels, each with a slot capacity of 5,900 TEU.

The sponsor of the "Rio Negro" is Daniela Oetker, wife of Alexander Oetker, Managing Director of the shipping company A.O. Schiffahrt GmbH & Co. KG. The "Rio Negro" is named after a tributary of the Amazon that rises in Columbia and then flows into the Amazon in Manaus (Brazil).

Following delivery on November 4, 2008, the "Rio Negro" will initially be deployed in Hamburg Süd's New Good Hope Express Service, which connects Asia and South Africa with the South American East Coast. She is then scheduled to be phased into the shipping group's Europe - South America East Coast Service in March/April 2009.