OOCL Savannah named at Geoje Shipyard, Korea   

OOCL is proud to announce on May 31, 2010, the christening of our newest vessel, the OOCL Savannah, the fifteenth in our line of sixteen 4,578 TEU vessels on order from Samsung Heavy Industries.

The OOCL Savannah was named by sponsor Mrs Maria Samuelsson, wife of Mr Mats Samuelsson, Vice President of Global Shipping, H&M.  

Mr Philip Chow, CEO of OOCL, hosted the ceremony which was held at Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard on Geoje Island, Korea. Mr I S Roh, President and CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, attended the ceremony.

Left to right: Mr Philip Chow, CEO of OOCL; Mrs Linda Chow; Mrs Maria Samuelsson, sponsor of OOCL Savannah; Mr Mats Samuelsson, Vice President of Global Shipping, H&M; Mr I S Roh, President and CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Chow said, “Having Mrs Samuelsson as our sponsor recognises the invaluable relationship we have with H&M, one of OOCL’s key clients. H&M is one of the fastest-growing clothing retailers worldwide, and their brand is already a familiar sight in Asia. OOCL is proud to partner with such a dynamic brand to transport garments around the world to their high street stores in the shortest time frame possible.”

“We are pleased to note that Asian exports and imports are improving again after a very difficult two years. We hope that these recovering trade flows will soon be observed in the container shipping sector, where rate improvements remain fragile,” said Mr Chow.

 “The port of Savannah, in the US State of Georgia, is one of the fastest-growing ports on the US East Coast. Savannah is a significant distribution center for major retailers, and is set to enjoy continued growth in the coming few years, as more shippers choose the all-water service following the expansion of the Panama Canal. As a champion of world trade, I am certain the OOCL Savannah will proudly live up to her name,” added Mr Chow.

The m.v. OOCL Savannah will be deployed in the KTX-2 service.

The port rotation is: Osaka / Kobe / Tokyo / Yokohama / Hong Kong / Laem Chabang / Shekou / Hong Kong / Xiamen and back to Osaka in a 21-day per round trip.

 Group photo of the naming ceremony of the OOCL Savannah, Geoje Island, Korea, May 31, 2010


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 leading container transport and logistics service providers, with more than 280 offices in 55 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/