UASC Takes Delivery of Eighth 13,500 TEU Box Ship

The 143,800 DWT Umm Salal, named after an area of Qatar famed for its historic monuments, is one of the 9 new A13 13,500 TEU container ships.

Middle Eastern box shipper United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has taken delivery of its eighth A13 container vessel.

Established in 1976, UASC currently owns and operates a total of 48 container ships but says with the new 13,500 TEU A13 box ships "a new era begins for the Company".

According the a company statement, UASC expects the new vessels to allow them to compete more effectively in key trade routes, with the bigger ships able to "substantially" reduce per TEU transportation costs and put the firm in a "stronger position offering a highly competitive product".

The company also says the A13 incorporates "some of the most eco-friendly technology in a number of fields".

The environment focused features include a waste heat recovery system, which converts exhaust gases to electric power, and ship hulls coated with a silicone paint designed to reduce water resistance and so cut fuel consumption.

According to Jorn Hinge, President & CEO of UASC, “The cost saving from the environment-conscious technology onboard will be significant, but equally importantly they will reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere.”

In 2008, the Kuwaiti based shipper ordered nine of the vessels from Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) at a cost of $1.5 billion.

The latest vessel was named "Al Qibla" by her sponsor Mr Othman Ibrahim Al-Issa, Chairman of UASC’s board of directors, during a Naming Ceremony held at the SHI shipyard in Geoje, South Korea.

The final vessel is due to be delivered on May 2, 2012, with the official naming ceremony expected to take place mid June in Jebel Ali, Dubai.

The seven delivered vessels are already in service, being deployed on UASC’s key trade routes between the Far East, Arabian Gulf, Red Sea and Northern Europe.

“The deployed ships are living up to expectations and are providing substantial savings in operational cost, which, combined with recent freight increases have resulted in a substantial improvement for UASC”, commented Mr Hinge during the "Al Qibla" Naming Ceremony.

The company has also announced that its new fully integrated liner management system, TRUST, had recently become fully operational.

UASC says the system will allow customers direct access to manage and track their shipments online 24/ 7 at uasconline.uasc.net.