The Evergreen Group held a naming ceremony for its sixth L-type vessel, which was built by CSBC Corporation of Taiwan.
The new 8,508-TEU vessel was christened Ever Loading at CSBC’s Kaohsiung shipyard.
Owned by Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd, it measures 334.8 meters in length and 45.8 meters wide, with 948 reefer plugs.
For delivery on July 29, the newbuilding will join Evergreen Line’s Asia-U.S. West Coast route, replacing an older vessel.
The L-class container ship is fitted with alternative marine power, ballast water treatment system, electronic-controlled fuel-injection engine that supports slow steaming, and other eco-friendly designs, said the company.
Bronson Hsieh, group second vice chairman, said in his speech that L-type vessels are very flexible and widely deployed across the carrier’s service network, including trade routes from the Far East to Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. West Coast.
Recently the Taiwan-based container shipping line used its 8,508-TEU ships to launch a new Asia-U.S. East Coast service via the Suez Canal.
“Currently the L-class vessels are among the maximum size of container ships that can pass under the Bayonne Bridge and call at New York port. Therefore, the service enables Evergreen to lower unit costs and enhance competitiveness in the Asia-U.S. East Coast trade,” the carrier said in a statement.
In 2010, the Evergreen Group started its current fleet renewal program involving the delivery of a total of 55 new ships above 8,000 TEUs between 2012 and 2017.
Of the total, 30 are L-type vessels. Ever Loading will become the 26th L-type vessel added to the company’s operating fleet. The remaining four newbuildings are being built by CSBC for delivery by the third quarter of 2015.
Hsieh also expressed optimism about making a profit for the quarter as rates on the Asia-Europe freight routes continue to rise amid a strong seasonal demand.
The container carrier absorbed a net loss of US$56.24 million in the first quarter; it has not yet disclosed its earnings for the second quarter, reported the Taipei Times.
