​​​Milestones - 2006

December

November

October

September

• OOCL announced that in October 2006, it would offer an upgraded Japan service, the KTX4, replacing the
• SHX service. The faster ships offer a reliable vessel schedule, direct links, and competitive transit times between Kansai / Pusan, and Taiwan, South China and Hong Kong.
• OOCL announced the delivery of the first of two 4,583-TEU vessels from the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. The new vessel was named the m.v. OOCL Zhoushan by the vessel’s Sponsor Mr Zhang Jia Meng, Secretary of the Zhoushan Municipal Committee for the Communist Party of China, and the Director of the People’s Congress of Zhoushan.
• OOCL announced a new service connecting the East Mediterranean with South East Asia and USA/Canada East Coast on its AEX service with relay via Gioia Tauro.

August

• OOCL announced the opening of a new OOCL (UK) Limited office in Belfast, Northern Ireland effective 1 October 2006.
• Orient Overseas (International) Limited (“OOIL”) Group announced a profit before taxation of US$311.2 million compared with US$329.4 million for the same period in 2005. After taxation and minority interests, the Group reported a profit of US$280.5 million, compared with US$308.9 million earned during the first half of 2005.

July

• Orient Overseas Container Line announced the launch of its improved and upgraded websites through http://www.oocl.com on 06 August 2006. Our new, user-friendly sites offered a clean and contemporary design, in addition to several new features.
• OOCL and the member lines of the Grand Alliance (GA) in the Transpacific trade - Hapag-Lloyd AG, and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), and The New World Alliance (TNWA) - APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd (MOL) - announced that from August 2006 they would commence an Asia-United States East Coast service via the Panama Canal.
• OOCL announced the July 20th christening of its tenth 8,063-TEU SX-Class vessel, built by Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. The newbuilding was named the m.v. OOCL Europe by Sponsor Miss Ye-Ji Kim daughter of Mr. J W Kim, the President and CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, at the Geoje Shipyard, on Geoje Island, South Korea.

June

• OOCL announced that the fourth of eight 5,888-TEU S-Class vessels was named the m.v. OOCL Dubai by the vessel’s Sponsors Mrs Jennifer Liu Sung and Ms Amy Liu at the Koyo Dockyard Co. Ltd., of Imabari Shipbuilding Group, in Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan on 29 June 2006.
• OOCL announced that it was voted the winner of the 2006 IFW Container Line of the Year Award at the IFW Freighting Industry Awards’ Gala Dinner held in London on 19 June 2006. OOCL was chosen over four other finalists – APL, CSCL, Maersk and Senator Line.

May

• OOCL and Tokyo Senpaku Kaisha, Ltd. (TSK) announced their cooperation on operating a new fixed-weekly Middle East-Asia Express service (MAX). The new MAX Service is served with five 5,000-Teu containerships, which replaced the individual Middle East services run by TSK and OOCL.
• OOCL announced that the third of eight 5,888-TEU S-Class vessels was named the m.v. OOCL Antwerp by the vessel’s Sponsor Dr. Rulin Fuong at the Koyo Dockyard Co. Ltd., of Imabari Shipbuilding Group, in Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan on 12 May 2006.

April

• OOCL announced the launch of a new weekly service, linking the Middle East to India, Pakistan and Singapore / Malaysia, called the Gulf-India-Straits Service (GIS), in cooperation with Simatech Shipping.
• OOCL announced that on April 11, 2006, it received notification that the company was a Computerworld Honors Program® 2006 Laureate for the second time. OOCL was first nominted by Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 1999 and EMC Corporation in 2006.
• OOCL announced that launched a twice-weekly Taiwan/Hong Kong to Vietnam Express Service, serving Taiwan, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh, in cooperation with Evergreen Marine Corp. (Taiwan) Ltd., and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (YML).
• OOCL announced that it would launch a new weekly service, linking the Middle East to India, Pakistan and Singapore / Malaysia, called the Gulf-India-Straits Service (GIS), in cooperation with Simatech Shipping.
• OOCL announced that on April 11, 2006, it received notification that the company had become a Computerworld Honors Program® 2006 Laureate. The program is dedicated to a singular and ongoing mission: "A Search for New Heroes." This search annually identifies and records the accomplishments of the men and women, organizations and institutions that are leading the world's ongoing IT revolution.

March

• OOCL announced the launch of a twice-weekly Taiwan/Hong Kong to Vietnam Express Service, serving Taiwan, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh, in cooperation with Evergreen Marine Corp. (Taiwan) Ltd., and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (YML) commencing on 4 April 2006,
• OOCL announced that it was officially awarded special recognition for its voluntary efforts to reduce fuel emissions from the Port of Long Beach on March 20th, 2006.
• OOCL celebrated the christening and delivery of the 5,888-TEU, S-Class OOCL Kaohsiung on March 29, 2006, a container vessel ordered by the company under a long-term time charter agreement with Nissen Kaiun Co., Ltd. The OOCL Kaohsiung was deployed on Trans Pacific trade on the Pacific North West Express route under the Grand Alliance.
• OOCL took delivery of its ninth SX-Class 8,063-TEU vessel in its fleet, from Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. The ship was named the m.v. OOCL Asia by the vessel’s Sponsor Mrs. Betty Tung at the Geoje Shipyard, on Geoje Island, South Korea on March 17, 2006. The OOCL Asia was deployed with the Grand Alliance under the EU3 Service Loop, serving the Asia-Europe and Europe-Asia corridors.
• Orient Overseas (International) Ltd (“OOIL”) announced a profit attributable to shareholders of US$650.9 million for the year ended 31st December 2005, a decrease of 2.9% from the attributable profit of US$670.4 million recorded in 2004. The Directors are recommending a final dividend of US15 cents (HK$1.17) per share.
• OOCL celebrated the inaugural voyage of the OOCL Vancouver, the newest addition to the OOCL container fleet. The occasion coincided with the OOCL Vancouver’s first North American port of call on her maiden voyage on the new Pacific North Express (PNX) service.  The PNX service was created in response to the increasing growth of container business between Asia and the North American market.
• OOCL announced the establishment of OOCL (New Zealand) Ltd., based in Auckland that will service customers through out New Zealand, on 1 March 2006.

February

• OOCL announced its latest innovation of downloadable e-forms and vessel certificates, available to customers in PDF format on the www.oocl.com homepage, effective 13 February 2006.
• The OOCL Vancouver was the first of eight S-Class vessels delivered to OOCl in the new year. It was named by Mrs. Linda Kwan Chow at the Koyo Dockyard Co. Ltd., of Imabari Shipbuilding Group, in Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan on 2 February 2006. All eight vessels are scheduled for delivery by the close of 2007, from Imabari.  The OOCL Vancouver joined the Grand Alliance's Transpacific Service, which introduced a new, customer-oriented schedule.

January

• The Grand Alliance member lines Hapag-Lloyd Container Line (HLCL), MISC Berhad. (MISC), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), announced that they restructured their service network with a new customer-oriented schedule; offering improvements in services and deploying 152 vessels in 2006, including the cooperation of The New World Alliance (TNWA).