Milestones - 2017
June
On June 22, 2017, the OOCL Hong Kong made history by being the largest container ship in the world to serve the European market through her maiden call at the Port of Felixstowe in the United Kingdom.
OOCL received a Level A rating in the BICEPS (Boosting Initiatives for Collaborative Emissions-reduction with the Power of Shippers) assessment for our sustainability efforts. The BICEPS rating system (from Levels A to F, where A is the highest possible rating) was launched in 2015 to boost initiatives and create momentum for the implementation of sustainability solutions in the shipping sector and helping shippers choose more sustainable ocean freight carriers.
May
Two new products, the Indonesia Thailand Straits Service (ITS) and Vietnam Johor Straits service (VJS) were introduced to our Intra-Asia service network to enhance our product portfolio in meeting the requirements of customers trading in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. The ITS commenced service on May 3 while the VJS became effective on June 11.
OOCL enhanced our services in the United Kingdom by offering direct calls to the Port of Felixstowe, a strategic gateway where we can leverage the comprehensive transportation network and connections through rail and trucks to offer customers best-in-class products and services in the region.
On May 24, 2017, the 13,208 TEU OOCL France became the largest containership to transit the expanded Panama Canal during her northbound passage from the Pacific Ocean, serving OOCL’s weekly East Coast Express 1 (ECX1) service.
OOCL announced the naming of our latest containership, the OOCL Hong Kong, at a christening ceremony held at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard on Geoje Island, South Korea on May 12, 2017. With a carrying capacity of 21,413 TEU, the OOCL Hong Kong was celebrated as one of the largest containerships in the world and the first vessel to cross the 21,000 TEU mark. We were very honored to have Mrs. Mylene Seah as the Vessel Sponsor and her husband, Mr. Peter Seah, Chairman of DBS Bank, as our Guest of Honor.
April
OOCL announced the introduction of a new service to our Intra-Europe Network, the North Europe – Turkey service (NET). The new service commenced from Felixstowe on April 8, 2017, providing a fixed day, weekly direct service covering all the key markets with competitive transit times between North Europe and Istanbul, Izmit and Izmir.
March
Effective 1 April, 2017, OOCL expanded service coverage to markets in the Red Sea by introducing the Asia-Red Sea 1 (RS1) and Asia-Red Sea 2 (RS2) products that includes port calls to various strategic locations in the region, such as Jeddah, Aqaba, Sokhna, Port Sudan, and Djibouti.
February
OOCL announced the combining of its AAA1 and AAA2 service loops in its Southeast Asia- Australia service into one upsized product called the New AAA to provide a more comprehensive service network in the market served by six post Panamax containerships. The upgraded service commenced from Laem Chabang in April, 2017.
January
On 22 January, 2017, OOCL Taipei became the first vessel to utilize shore power at the DaChan Bay terminal in Shenzhen, China, as soon as the Alternate Maritime Power (AMP) facility there became available. By switching to shore power when at berth, OOCL was proud to lead the way in helping improve the air quality at the DaChan Bay port community.
OOCL was bestowed the Social Capital Builder Logo Award 2016 organized by the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund of the Labor and Welfare Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government on 6 January, 2017. Since 2012, this biennial award recognizes organizations that contribute to building strong network and relationships among the people who live and work in Hong Kong, and OOCL was recognized for our proactive role in this aspect of our corporate social responsibility initiative.
