The first 8,530-TEU container ship, of which China owns the full
intellectual property rights, had been delivered to China Shipping
Container Lines Co. Ltd. (Shanghai) and left for its maiden voyage
to the United States on Sunday.
It has made China the fourth country in the world, after the
Republic of Korea, Japan and Denmark that is able to design and
build such giant container ships, said experts.
The ship, named "New Asia", is the first of five container ships
of the same type to be designed and built by Hudong-Zhonghua
Shipbuilding (Group) Co. Ltd. for the China Shipping Container
Lines Co., Ltd.
The 101,000-dwt container ship, 335 meters long and 42.8 meters
wide, can sail at a speed of 25 knots an hour.
The Shanghai-based shipbuilding company spent six years to build
the ship, the largest container ship independently designed and
built by China. It is one of the mainstream type of container ships
in the world.
So far the company has confirmed nine orders for its 8,530-TEU
container ships, including four for the Greek Costamare Shipping
Co.
(Xinhua News Agency September 10 2007)
