Hamburg Sud, First ship christening in the United States

For the first time in the shipping company`s history, Hamburg Sud has celebrated the christening of a ship in the U.S. The ceremony to name the 3,800 TEU container ship 'Cap Corrientes' was held on August 23rd in the Port of San   Francisco.

The ship`s sponsor is Ofelia Gallo, the wife of Joseph E. Gallo, President and CEO of the E.&J. Gallo Winery in Modesto, California. The ceremony was also attended by Dr. Heino Schmidt, Member of the Executive Board of Hamburg Sud, and Alexander Oetker representing the Oetker family.

The container ship was built by Taizhou Catic Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Ltd. in China for the account of Vilmaris Management GmbH of Hamburg/Germany and is on a long-term charter with Hamburg Sud. The ship is deployed by Hamburg Sud in the liner trade between the Pacific Coast and Australia/New Zealand.

Very important for Hamburg Sud is the ship`s capacity of 500 reefer plugs, which are used to carry refrigerated goods such as meat, fruit and vegetables from Australia to the US, or citrus fruits from Southern California on the return voyage.

The ship naming ceremony at Pier 35 coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Port of San Francisco. Hamburg Sud started offering regular liner services to and from California in 1957, connecting the Pacific Coast with Australia and New Zealand.

In the early 1970s it was Hamburg Sud that introduced container ships with a large reefer capacity into the trade between the US East and West Coasts and Oceania. < Korea Shipping Gazette >