Korean built 4255 TEU christened Zim Colombo

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZISS) has christened its new Korean-built 4255 TEU Container Vessel as Zim Colombo and has deployed it into their East Mediterranean Express (EMX) Service which touches Colombo on its west-bound and east-bound voyages.

ZISS offers 60 services to ports of call throughout Europe, the United States and Canada, Central and South America, Africa and Asia and it has established a particularly strong presence on routes between the Far East and the Caribbean, Mediterranean and China. In addition, to meet the changing needs of a dynamic market, ZISS continuously expands and diversifies their geographic coverage and is currently strengthening their presence in developing regions, with a focus on the Far East, Former Soviet Union regions, South America and Africa.

According to their plans, two major ZISS services - ZIM Container Service (ZCS) and EMX have already embarked on Super-Slow Steaming, a measure that would enable substantial fuel savings and significantly reduced CO2 and NOX emissions. In pursuance of this endeavour, ZISS added a 4255 TEU vessel to each service, thus maintaining similar levels of service in terms of frequency and with only minor changes in transit times.

Accordingly, ZCS deploys 16 vessels while EMX deploys 11 vessels in their operations. Slow steaming is in line with ZISS’ streamlining and savings efforts. ZISS is one of the first shipping companies whose owned fleet confirms to Environmental Management (ISO 14001) standards. The Super-Slow Steaming will reduce the CO2 and NOx emission drastically in these two lines and will support ZISS’ persistent commitment to sustainability and environmental awareness.

A ceremony was held on board the vessel MV Zim Colombo, in celebration of her maiden voyage at the JCT of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), on her inaugural west-bound voyage on Thursday.

To mark the significance of this move to the SLPA, plaques were exchanged between the Managing Director of SLPA Capt. Nihal Keppetipola and the Master of the vessel Capt. Sergej Decenkov and officials of Messrs. Star Lanka Shipping (Pvt) Ltd, the local shipping agents.

SLPA Managing Director Capt. Nihal Keppetipola said “We have attracted several new lines and services in recent months and this trend is a clear approbation by the liner community of the current customer-friendly marketing orientation and SLPA’s pragmatic policies.

Our country has come to the threshold of an economic renaissance with the peace dividend being invested on huge maritime-related infrastructure development projects.”

The christening of ZISS’ new vessel as MV Colombo is of great significance to Sri Lanka which fills us with pride, especially at a time when the green shoots of recovery from the global economic meltdown are appearing. This would make the “Port of Colombo” echo throughout the world which is now well accepted as the regional Hub port he said.