On January 8th Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) christened its 11th SX-Class 8,063-teu vessel, built by Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.

The newbuilding was christened the m.v. OOCL Tokyo, by the honorable sponsor Mrs. Maria Smith, wife of Mr. Michael Smith, President and CEO of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation, at the Geoje Shipyard Quay No. 6, Geoje Island, Korea.

Mr. CC Tung, Chairman and CEO of Orient Overseas (International), Ltd., spoke at the ceremony: 'As one of our flagship vessels, the OOCL Tokyo is part of a proud series of ships with advanced design and state-of-the-art equipment. These SX-class ships are the foundation on which OOCL is able to deliver the high level of services required by our customers.'

The OOCL Tokyo will be deployed on the EU4, Asia-Europe service with north and central China focus, within the Grand Alliance.

'In this capacity, the OOCL Tokyo will continue to demonstrate OOCL's commitment to providing a Vital Link to world trade,' said Mr. Tung. 'Samsung Heavy Industries has built many great ships for OOCL, combining excellent performance with cost efficiency. These excellent vessels have greatly enhanced OOCL's competitive edge in the marketplace,' he said.

The OOCL Tokyo will have a port rotation of: Rotterdam / Hamburg / Southampton / Singapore / Kaohsiung / Pusan / Dalian / Tianjin / Qingdao / Pusan / Shanghai / Ningbo / Singapore / Port Kelang / Jeddah and back to Rotterdam, for a 63-day round trip.