OOCL Berlin unveiled at naming ceremony in Korea

(L-R) Mr. C. C. Tung, Chairman of Orient Overseas (International) Limited; Mrs. Sachiko Sano, Sponsor of OOCL Berlin and Director of Yamasa Co.; Ms. Makiko Sano, Guest of Honor and Executive Director of Yamasa Co.; and Captain Lee Kin Hung of the OOCL Berlin

At a christening ceremony held on Geoje  Island in Korea today, OOCL marked the naming of the second 13,208 TEU mega vessel to join its fleet this year.

The m.v. OOCL Berlin was named by sponsor Mrs. Sachiko Sano and was joined by guest of honor, Ms. Makiko Sano, both from the Yamasa Co., who graced the stage to perform the ceremonies and unveiled the mega vessel in front of spectators.

In welcoming all the guests to the celebration, Mr. C. C. Tung, Chairman of Orient Overseas (International) Limited, thanked everyone who contributed to the success of the vessel and acknowledged the encouraging support by the Yamasa Co. to OOCL.

“At a time when the container shipping industry is still facing great challenges in today’s market environment, we are very thankful to Yamasa for their confidence and trust in OOCL’s performance, to be providing the financial support we need to have this magnificent vessel built,” said Mr. Tung.

The mega vessel will play an important role in improving OOCL’s competitive edge as the new generation of ships are designed and built with efficiency objectives in mind to provide better economies of scale and sailing performance at sea.

By embracing innovative designs and the latest technologies, the OOCL Berlin will also contribute to improving the environment. With a sophisticated hull form design to optimize the ship’s performance and by adopting state-of-the-art engine technologies, these important features contribute to lowering energy consumption levels and achieving the best EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) value to exceed today’s internationally recognized standards.

In many of today’s environmentally conscious supply chains, customers are paying more attention to sustainability and their effects on the environment. With these new mega vessels joining OOCL’s fleet, the company can provide a greener transportation option to help meet customer needs.

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Tung noted, “Our special thanks go to the team at Samsung Heavy Industries for their professionalism, dedication to quality, and partnership to helping us achieve our objectives. We really appreciate our synergies with Yamasa and Samsung, working together to bring OOCL Berlin to life, providing a vital link to world trade.”

OOCL Berlin will be deployed on Loop 4 of the Asia–Europe service. The port rotation is: Ningbo / Yangshan / Yantian / Singapore / Suez Canal / Le Havre / Southampton / Hamburg / Rotterdam / Suez Canal / Jeddah / Singapore / Yantian and back to Ningbo in a 77-day round trip. < Korea Shipping Gazette >