Container Ship Christened at COSCO
On July 26, the 10000-TEU container ship COSCO Asia was christened in South Korea. The christening ceremony was grandly held at HHI's shipyard in Ulsan. Executive Vice President Zhang Fusheng and Vice President Chen Hongsheng of COSCO Group were presented at the ceremony. COSCO Asia is the first of four such vessels being built for COSCO by HHI's shipyard. With maximum carrying capacity of 10062 TEUs, COSCO Asia is the largest container vessel among COSCO fleet. The vessel realized a high-level of automation and is very environmentally friendly. It was classed by Lloyd's Register to stringent environmental standards, reflecting COSCO's commitment to its UN Global Compact responsibilities.
COSCO Signs Contracts with Four Shipyards
Xinhua reported that COSCO Group, China's leading shipping and logistics service provider, inked in Boao, Hainan Province on Saturday contracts with four domestic shipyards to build 66 ships. Zhang Fusheng, a COSCO spokesman, did not disclose the total value of these shipbuilding contracts but said they summed up to a record amount for the shipping giant. The move is to help meet China's strong demand for shipping as the country's fast economic development gives rise to more imports of energy resources and more auto imports and exports, said analysts. Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, attended the signing ceremony on the sidelines of the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia.
