Steady as she goes for Evergreen
Ever Steady, the latest in a series of ten 7,024 TEU S-type vessels being built for Evergreen in Japan, has taken to the water for the first time. It was launched at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Kobe shipyard on August 22 at a ceremony hosted by Vice Group Chairman of Evergreen Group and Chairman of Evergreen Marine Corp, Chang Kuo-Cheng (K C Chang), and is due for delivery in December 2006, scheduled to enter service on the HTW service linking Southern China, Hong Kong and Taiwan with the West Coast of North America. Ever Steady is the sixth vessel in this series. Four have already entered service with the Evergreen Group’s UK affiliate Hatsu Marine Ltd and the fifth, Ever Superb, is due for delivery at the end of this month.
Mitsubishi launches Ever Spring
Ever Spring is the fifth in a series of ten S-types being built for the Evergreen Group by Mitsubishi. Three have already been delivered to the Evergreen Group’s UK affiliate Hatsu Marine Ltd and a fourth, Hatsu Smile, is due for delivery at the beginning of June. The honor of cutting the ceremonial rope sending the traditional bottle of champagne against its bow to launch and send Ever Spring on her way down the slipway was given to Mr K C Chang’s wife, Mrs Tseng Chiung-Hui. The Evergreen Group is taking delivery of 18 large post-Panamax containerships over the period 2005 to 2008 – ten S-types and eight 8063TEU C-types – allowing the Group companies to upgrade existing services and phase out older vessels.
Evergreen Calls on Industry to Protect the Environment
Evergreen Vice Group Chairman Chang Kuo-Cheng urged the international transportation industry to “come together – ocean carriers, ports, terminals, inland carriers and shippers – to develop new ways to protect the environment for future generations while we maintain the efficiency of our global network”. “At past industry conferences this issue might be dismissed as commercially insignificant – not something with which we as business people, transportation professionals, need be concerned. Once we have developed this foundation, Chang said: “We must educate. We must raise the awareness of the world’s people to the importance of our industry and why investment is so critical – investment from everyone worldwide.
