The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) is pleased to announce the christening of the OOCL Utah. OOCL customarily names their fleet ships after office locations. The Hong Kong-based international container shipping and logistics company opened their North American Integrated Management and Service Center in Utah in 2014.
The OOCL Utah is an 8,888 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containership which is 100,400 tons and 1,099 feet long. The ship was built by the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Company. It will follow a course between ports in Shanghai and Los Angeles, linking the United States and China in trade. Its first arrival in California is expected in late April. The Tung Family, the owners of the global company, expressed how honored they were to host GOED Executive Director Val Hale and his wife Nancy Hale as guests.
Reflecting on OOCL’s relationship with Utah, Mr. Andy Tung, CEO of OOCL said: “A few years ago, in our consideration to establish our Integrated Management and Service Center in North America, we looked deeply into Utah’s infrastructure and business community and saw opportunities for us to grow and strengthen our services by setting up the office in Salt Lake City. OOCL’s motto to ‘Take it personally’ in all that we do is paramount to our success in bringing quality product and services to customers and is deeply rooted in our culture. We are also dedicated to establishing strong and lasting partnerships, and we are very happy to have friends and colleagues from the Utah community with us in our journey providing a ‘Vital Link’ to world trade.”
Nancy Hale served as the ceremony’s sponsor, blessing the OOCL Utah and crew. Following the naming ceremony, Val Hale, executive director of GOED, then shared some thoughts on Utah’s economy and the state’s tradition of global relationships and trade.
“Utah’s skilled workforce, business friendly environment and quality of life have attracted many companies from all over the world, and we are pleased that OOCL agrees that we are a good match,” Hale said. “We especially look forward to continuing to build bridges and maintain our heritage of language and cultural diversity. OOCL’s Integrated Management and Service Center in Utah will certainly benefit from that heritage, just as we will benefit from the company’s presence.”
Hale noted that the state expects the OOCL Utah will be symbolic of the state’s global trade relationships and that the ship will be a visual reminder of Utah’s increasing global presence as the OOCL Utah travels the Pacific Ocean.