OOCL celebrates the christening of OOCL Canada

July 6, 2011 (Hong Kong) --- Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) celebrated the christening of OOCL Canada, an 8,888 TEU vessel today, at a naming ceremony held on the new Changxing Island shipyard of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. (HZ) in Shanghai, China.

OOCL Canada was christened by sponsor Mrs. Lisa Rose. Her husband, Mr. Matthew Rose, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the BNSF Railway Company was the Guest of Honor for this special occasion. Headquartered in Texas, USA, BNSF operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, and having provided intermodal containerization services with OOCL for almost 30 years, is valued as an important strategic partner.

L-R: Mr. Wang Yong, General Manager of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd.; Mrs. Lisa Rose, Sponsor of OOCL Canada; Mr. Matthew Rose, Chairman and CEO of BNSF and Mr. Philip Chow, CEO of OOCL

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Philip Chow, Chief Executive Officer of OOCL said “The vessel is named after a prosperous and wealthy nation in North America with many trade ties to Asia. OOCL Canada will be an important addition to our fleet of free trade ambassadors.”

In the presence of Mr. Wang Yong, General Manager of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., Mr. Chow also conveyed his special thanks to the shipyard for hosting the event and congratulated HZ on winning industry recognition in developing its 8,888 TEU container vessels by using technology with solely-owned intellectual property rights. This recognition signifies a coming of age for Chinese shipbuilding technology and craftsmanship which have become globally competitive.

“OOCL Canada is second in the line of eight 8,888 TEU vessels built for us by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Company. By deploying the latest shipbuilding technology developed in China and collaborating with OOCL on design optimization, HZ was awarded the “Shanghai Municipality’s First Class Award for Science and Technology Advancement”. They achieved commendable results in maximizing energy efficiency and carrying capacity, while minimizing their impact on our environment.” Mr. Chow continued.

OOCL Canada is 335 meters long, 42.8 meters wide and has a deadweight of approximately 100,400 mt. She will be deployed on OOCL’s Middle East Asia express route serving Intra-Asia Trade and her 42-day port rotation begins in Shanghai, calling Ningbo, Hong Kong, Shekou, Singapore, Jebel Ali, Dammam, Port Klang, completing the loop by sailing back to Singapore, Hong Kong, and finally to Shanghai.

Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Stock Exchange listed Orient Overseas (International) Ltd. Headquartered in Hong Kong, OOCL is one of the world's largest integrated international container transportation and logistics companies, with more than 270 offices in 60 countries. Linking Asia, Europe, North America, the Mediterranean, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East and Australia/New Zealand, the company offers transportation services to all major east/west trading economies of the world. OOCL is one of the leading international carriers serving China, providing a full range of logistics and transportation services throughout the country. It is also an industry leader in the use of information technology and e-commerce to manage the entire cargo process. Website: http://www.oocl.com