OOCL New Zealand named at South Korea`s Geoje Shipyard

HONG KONG`s OOCL has announced the arrival of the ninth of 16 panamax vessels with the naming the OOCL New Zealand from Samsung Heavy Industries` Geoje Shipyard.
The 4,500-TEU OOCL New Zealand will be deployed on the Asia-Australia AAA 2 service. The port rotation is: Port Kelang, Singapore, Fremantle, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle and back to Port Kelang on a 28-day round trip.
Simone Cranwell, wife of Steven Cranwell, Asia manager of the National Australia Bank, did the honours.
"Having Mrs Cranwell as the sponsor of OOCL New Zealand recognises OOCL`s invaluable relationship with the National Australia Bank," said OOIL chief financial officer Ken Cambie.
"We are proud to name this ship the OOCL New Zealand," he said. "New Zealand might be a small nation, but its many achievements are remarkable, and it is a significant maritime hub for the Australasian region."
Mr Cambie said the new panamax ships are versatile and help OOCL to enhance services.
"They can be used in our intra-Asia trade, in our Australia-New Zealand trade and they can transit the Panama Canal," he said. "Samsung Heavy Industries has built many great ships for OOCL, combining optimum performance with cost efficiency."