According to the 1970-71 edition of Jan’s freight containers under the name of Bahamas Ocean Developments Ltd. is written the following information:
515 Madison Ave. New York
Louis Beck president
Lionel Levine v-p secretary and treasurer
It is reported that this company has ordered five cellular container ships of 19 710 tons deadweight equipped with engines capable of providing 38 000 shp which will provide a service speed of 23 knots. These vessels are due for delivery from Italian shipyard over the period of October 1970 to August 1971 will be 207 m in length with a beam of 30.5 m and a draught of 9.4 m . They will lift the equivalent of 1200 20 feet units.

I could not link the Manhattan address to any other U.S. shipping company nor the executives listed...

Thank you for the info, davidships.

Did not make the connection, but it would make some sense for an American company to use an alias when ordering abroad. There is very little to find about this.

Brgrds,
Herbert

Nice picture ChasB46! History...

The Meyer ships were owned by another company, according to the German language article from "Der Spiegel" in 1974. The BODL-backers are still a mystery.

https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-41739237.html

Brgrds,
Herbert

Just uploaded Taeping at Southampton.. Kodak dated slide 1971 + Seatrain containers

There was a lot of interest in TAEPING in the shipping press at the time as she was the first containership built in Italy, the first of a batch for C Y Tung, and she went straight into service in 1971 timechartered to Seatrain Lines on the North Atlantic.

Most of the online articles are dreaded Google snippets only, but I found pieces in 1971 volume of 'Schip & Werf' (NLD - p442) and 9/1971 edition of 'Ingeneria Naval' (ITA - p411) which seem to agree that she was indeed connected to Adam Schiffahts from completion, and entered service under German flag. It would be good to be able to cross-check with LR 1971 supplements for first entry.

However, the story seems more complicated. Bahamas Ocean Developments Ltd (BODL) is said to have been an offshoot of American Export Isbrandtsen Line, that had named its first containerships CV SEA WITCH, LIGHTNING, STAG HOUND after famous 19th century tea clippers. TAEPING and her three Italian sisters ordered by BODL were also famous clippers, intended to be: ARIEL (compl TAEHO), THERMOPYLAE (compl ZIM NEW YORK) and SERICA (compl ZIM TOKYO).

Thanks Hecarmi and Heizer. So the correct story is that TAEPING was ordered and launched for British-flag owners, but sold to German owners just before delivery.

HI Arnes, Herbert,
she had 3 sisterships ordered by Bahamas Overseas Developments Ltd. with teaclipper names. Under German flag ARIEL renamed TAEHO (Owner Adam KG.), SERICA renamed
ZIM TOKYO, THERMOPYLAE renamed ZIM NEW YORK ( both owned by Meyer KG)

Dear Arnes, Heizer,

LSI of 3 March 1971 shows TAEPING as "launched at Genoa" under BR-flag, but this could easily have also been Bahamas of Bermuda as they were not split in the LSI in those days. Afaik, her maiden voyage was under German flag.

Brgrds,
Herbert

You may be right, Heizer, now I checked Lloyds Shipping Index from september 1971, they list her as German flag. I found the other information in Miramar; from delivery in 1971 she was owned by Bahamas Ocean Developments Ltd, British flag, before changing to German flag in 1972. Maybe this is wrong

Built for Adam KG., Bremen, and as far as I remember she
never sailed under British flag. Iwas onboard from Dec.
1972 until May 1974.
Regards