ATHENS, July 10 -- Piraeus port welcomed on Monday OOCL PIRAEUS, a newbuild of the Orient Overseas Container Line Europe (OOCL) and also one of the largest container vessels in the world.

On its maiden 84-day round trip voyage connecting Asia with Europe, the container vessel arrived on Monday at the premises of Piraeus Container Terminal S.A. (PCT), a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping.

With an overall length of 399.9 meters and a molded width of 61.3 meters, the OOCL PIRAEUS has a nominal container capacity of 24,188 TEUs and is one of the largest container vessels in the world, according to a PCT press release.

"The very presence of OOCL PIRAEUS here today signifies the fact that the Port of Piraeus has become a critical link of the new trade route connecting the Far East to Europe and Africa," Zhang Anming, managing director of PCT, said at a special welcome ceremony.

Today Piraeus is at the top of container ports in the Mediterranean and among the four most important sea trade hubs in Europe, Zhang added.

Taking over the management of Piraeus' terminals II and III in 2010, PCT has transformed Piraeus into one of the most important hubs for international freight transport in the Mediterranean and Europe.