OOCL Gdynia is one of the newest container ships of the shipowner in Hong Kong. What kind of ship is it, and why was it named after one of the Polish seaside cities?
Naming vessels
It is not unusual for ships to share names with cities or countries. For example, the shipowner Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) already has a ship in its fleet called Poland with a capacity of over 13,000 TEU. At the end of 2023, a mega-container ship called Gdynia was added to the fleet.
OOCL Gdynia
In October 2023, a naming ceremony of a mega-container ship, OOCL Gdynia, was held at Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co. Ltd. (DACKS) shipyard.
This is the sixth of twelve mega-container ships ordered in 2020. This type of ship is more environmentally friendly than others. A number of innovations based on the latest technology were used to improve fuel efficiency and optimize other operations. Hence, the ship has fewer CO2 emissions and is in line with the policy of maritime decarbonization.
There is a branch of OOCL in Gdynia, Poland, so the newest ship was named after this Polish city.
OOCL Gdynia began its first voyage on October 30, sailing from Shanghai to Europe and back to China.
OOCL Gdynia data
- TEU: 24,188
- gross capacity: 235,341 t
- length: 399.9 m
- width: 61.3 m
- draft: 16.5 m
- speed: approx. 18.5 knots
- flag: Hong Kong
- year: 2023
About OOCL
OOCL (Overseas Container Line Ltd.) was founded in 1969 in Hong Kong. It is a company that offers sea transport and containerized goods services. For more than 50 years, the company has grown significantly, with dozens of ships in its fleet, including several mega-container ships that are the second largest in terms of capacity after the MSC mega-container ships. OOCL’s network covers the entire globe.
OOCL series of mega-container ships (over 24,000 TEU) introduced in 2023:
- OOCL Felixstowe
- OOCL Gdynia
- OOCL Piraeus
- OOCL Spain
- OOCL Türkiye
- OOCL Zeebrugge
Check the list of the biggest containerships in the world.
Image: oocl.com