Bermuda’s new Oleander cargo ship has been launched at a shipyard in China, Bermuda Container Line said yesterday.

John Wight, the chairman of BCL, said the ship slid down Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group’s slipway in Jingjiang on the Yangtze River “to the cheers of many builders”.

The ship, launched last week, hit the water almost 28 years to the day after the launch of the present ship.

Mr Wight said: “We are very pleased that the launch was a success and that the construction of the vessel has remained on schedule and on budget.

“We are planning a naming and christening ceremony shortly after her estimated arrival in mid-February.”