Ambassador Liu Holding Cordial Talks with the Crew of the COSCO England

      On the morning of 8 October 2013, strung with flying colored flags, the giant container ship COSCO England, owned by China COSCO, berthed in the British Port of Felixstowe. The grand Maiden Voyage ceremony of COSCO England was held at the Port. Chinese Ambassador to the UK H.E. Liu Xiaoming and Madam Hu Pinghua, Mayor of Felixstowe Jan Garfield, Chief Executive of COSCO UK Simon Yang, Managing Director of Hutchison Whampoa Limited Central Europe Clemence Cheng, Captain of COSCO England Wang Haiqing and nearly 100 other guests from Chinese and British shipping circles attended the ceremony.

Ambassador Liu Delivering a Speech

      During the ceremony, Ambassador Liu delivered a cordial speech. First, he warmly welcomed the COSCO England to Britain on her maiden voyage and made a comparison about COSCO England and the Cutty Sark which was built in 1869 and now rests by the River Thames. Ambassador Liu said from the stories of the COSCO England and the Cutty Sark we can learn much about how our world has changed during the past 140 years. These stories also allow us to reflect on a century and a half of China-UK relations which have stood the test of time and become strong, bringing about an extensive and substantial relationship in the China-Britain cooperation. More importantly, this cooperation is now based on the principles of equality and mutual benefits. With the recovery of the British economy, in the coming five years, China’s imports will rise to a total amount of 10 trillion US dollars. He believes that driven by these encouraging developments, COSCO England will be busy and full during all her passages between the two countries. Finally, Ambassador Liu expressed his hope that COSCO will have a thriving business and China-UK business ties will continue to prosper.

      In his speech, Chief Executive of COSCO UK Simon Yang noted that in recent years, COSCO’s investment in the UK has been increasing and COSCO has continued to set up business in more areas, including container services, logistics and bulk shipping. With the fast development of China-UK trade, COSCO has decided to upgrade all the ships that are docked in the Port of Felixstowe into giant container ships to further improve the capacity of China-UK line. The name COSCO England reflects the importance attached by COSCO on England, and the maiden voyage is a symbol of a new period for the China-UK seaborne trade cooperation.

Chief Executive Simon Yang Delivering a Speech

      After the ceremony, Ambassador Liu and Madam Hu Pinghua held cordial talks with the captain of COSCO England, Wang Haiqing and visited the navigation bridge, living quarters of the crew, recreation room and kitchen. They also inquired about the condition of the ship, loading of cargo and daily life of the crew. They enjoined the crew to pay attention to safety during the sea voyage and guard themselves from pirate attacks. They also encouraged the crew to work hard to make positive contributions to the development of China-UK trade and economic cooperation.

Ambassador Liu and Madam Hu Pinghua Talking to Captain Wang Haiqing in the Navigation Bridge

      Ambassador Liu was also interviewed by a journalist from the BBC and answered questions regarding the trade and economic cooperation between China and the UK, and the important role of eastern England in China-UK trade.

      Manufactured by Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd., COSCO England is China’s largest mega container ship and a world leading ship in the industry. With an overall length of 366m, a width of 56m and a deadweight tonnage of 13386, the ship can reach 24.3 nautical miles an hour and is deployed on COSCO's NE1 Asia-to-Northern-Europe service.

Ambassador Liu being Interviewed by a Journalist from BBC