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)