OOCL: Another eco-friendly 16,828 TEU boxship is born

Hong Kong-based container shipping company Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has christened its third environmentally friendly 16,828 TEU containership, the OOCL Sunflower.

As disclosed, the 165,000 dwt OOCL Sunflower, part of a ten-vessel series booked by OOCL, was named at China’s Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering (DACKS) on January 11, 2025. As per London-based data provider VesselsValue, the boxship boasts an overall length of 367 meters, a beam of 51 meters, and a draft of 16.5 meters.

Once it sets sail, according to OOCL, the newbuilding, much like its sister vessels, is set to service the company’s Trans-Pacific Trade ECX1 service.

The latest New Panamax unit is reportedly fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as scrubbers. It is understood that the OOCL Sunflower and the remaining ships of the series incorporate other “advanced” technology, too, that allows them to have an ‘enhanced’ environmental performance as well as ‘great’ operational efficiency.

“We are confident that this ship will significantly enhance our ability to connect the world and serve our customers in future voyages. As we look ahead to 2025, the shipping industry is set to face both opportunities and challenges. OOCL’s fleet structure will be further optimized, with more efficient and environmentally friendly new vessels set to deliver and sail, positioning us for future growth,” Michael Xu, Director and Member of the Executive Committee of OOCL, remarked.

The first boxship of this series, the OOCL Bauhinia, was delivered and christened at the beginning of December 2024, also at DACKS. With a length of 366.99 meters, a depth of 30.2 meters and a width of 51 meters, the unit is believed to be among the biggest ones to be able to navigate the new locks of the Panama Canal.

The red carpet for the second newbuilding was rolled out just days later. Christened the OOCL Iris, the ship was welcomed and named at China’s Nantong COSCO Khi Ship Engineering (NACKS).