United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) took delivery of its seventh A7 ship at a ceremony in Kuwait.

UASC, owed by the six Arabian Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq, also named the new ship as MV Al Hilal, which signifies the crescent of the moon and also happens to be the name of an old area of Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The ship was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries. She carries the Qatari flag and is deployed in the Asia-Middle East-Europec service.   With an overall length of 306 m, a moulded beam of 40 m and fitted with Hyundai-Sulzer 11RT-flex 96C main engines, these new A7 ships have an enormous capacity to load 6,919 teu containers and can operate at a service speed of 25.5 knots per hour. They can load 459 feu reefer containers and are also equipped to transport hazardous cargoes.
Officiating at the naming ceremony was Ken Bloch Soerensen, UASC’s president and CEO, who said the shipping line, in accordance with its long-tem strategic plans, would further augment  capacity to meet growing demand for cost-effective and efficient shipping regionally and internationally.