APL receives 8,100-TEU vessel from Japan

NOL has received the 8,100-TEU MOL Celebration from the Mitsubishi's Nagasaki Shipyard, which is to become the first very large container ship (VLCS) to join the APL fleet.

The newbuild will be known as the APL France, and is part of a charter deal which will see four of the eight VLCSes joining APL.

The ship is the second of eight VLCS vessels built in Japan for MOL. They were ordered in three steps initiated in April 2004 followed by the announcement of a newbuilding master plan in August 2004, AXS Alphaliner reported.

Four of the eight ships have been chartered to APL, including the APL France that is to be used on the New World Alliance's CEX loop, which is run with APL tonnage only.