A contract to supply hatch covers for six (+ two options) 7,700 TEU container ships extends OOCL's links with MacGREGOR, which supplied lift-away hatch cover sets for the company's 5,500 TEU post-Panamax tonnage and a 2,800 TEU ice class vessel

A contract to supply hatch cover sets for six 7,700 TEU container ships has strengthened MacGREGOR's high market share in the post-Panamax tonnage sector. The newbuildings ordered by Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd (OOCL) from Samsung Heavy Industries, are among the largest container ships yet commissioned. Deliveries are due to start from the South Korean yard in 2003.

Each weatherdeck hatch cover outfit will comprise 72 lift-away panels arranged in

three-, four- and five-panel sets to serve the nine holds and yield the following openings:

Panels will be designed to accept a uniformly distributed load of 1.30 tonnes/m² (weather load) and container stack loads of 90 tonnes/20ft units, 120 tonnes/40ft units and 120 tonnes/45ft units.

Our decision to place this order with MacGREGOR is because of our past experience with its hatch covers, said Mr Michael Kwok, General Manager of OOCL Fleet Management. They provide excellent strength, quality and reliability in weather protection for our customer cargo both on and below deck.

The Samsung projects extend OOCL's links with MacGREGOR, which supplied lift-away hatch cover sets for the company's 5,500 TEU post-Panamax vessels from the CSBC Kaohsiung yard in Taiwan and a 2,800 TEU ice class vessel from Daewoo Heavy Industries in South Korea.