The images from the deck of the container ship “OOCL Piraeus” in the port of Piraeus are impressive.

The newly built ship aimed to pay tribute to the largest port of the country and in this context a special event was held attended by the president of PPA Mr. YU Zeng Gang, and the Executive Deputy Managing Director of SEP SA Capt. Wang Jihang.

On May 30, Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL) hosted the naming ceremony of its brand new mammoth 24,188 TEUs container ship at Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. (DACKS) of the second largest modernized Chinese large-scale shipbuilding consortium.

The ship was officially named by Ms. FANG Xue Yu, Executive Vice President of Hisense International Co., Ltd., in the presence of many distinguished guests, as well as OOCL partners and customers.

OOCL Piraeus will visit Piraeus at regular intervals, as from June it will serve OOCL’s LL3 service between Asia and Europe.

“Extremely proud”

PPA President Mr. YU Zeng Gang emphasized: “We are proud that one of the largest container ships in the world bears the name of the largest Greek port and will travel its glorious name around the world. The Chinese and Greek people have always respected each other for their respective ancient cultures despite how far apart they are geographically. With the Maritime Silk Road, especially since the establishment of the SEP in the Port of Piraeus, another new path of friendship between the two peoples has been opened. But let me say that SEP is also a new gateway for Greece to the world. Our aim is for this now established link to continue to offer new opportunities to the global container shipping industry as we strive to strengthen Piraeus’ role on the global trade map, as this port has done throughout its 2,500-year history.”

For his part, the executive deputy managing director of SEP S.A. Capt. Wang Jihang, emphasized – among other things – that “it is a great pleasure to have the privilege of your presence at this special event on the occasion of welcoming one of the most emblematic ships to the port of Piraeus. Orient Overseas Container Line, a member of the Cosco Group, has chosen to name its second mega container ship “OOCL Piraeus”. For us at SEP, this fills us with pride. It is an international recognition of the upward trajectory of Piraeus and a reward for the hard work of the SEP, through which Piraeus has reached a position worthy of its strategic position and its rich history.”

Characteristics

The container ship is 399.99 m long and 61.30 m wide (24 rows) and has a DWT of 215,000 tons. It is equipped with a scrubber, while it is powered by a WinGD 12X92 series main engine, which puts out 61,000 kW for a speed of about 22.5 knots.

Unlike many recent vertical fin ship designs, COSCO-KHI’s new design features a conventional bow with a pronounced bulb.

The boats in this series incorporate the latest technology and are equipped with advanced smart systems and upgraded green design such as low drag line design and bulbous bow energy saving.

The new-build container ship will offer OOCL the advantages of economies of scale, energy efficiency and long-term navigational safety.

Mr. Teddy FUNG, Commercial Director of OOCL, thanked the DACKS shipyards stating that this magnificent vessel exemplifies their ingenuity, skill and craftsmanship.

“The range of container ships is an excellent example of the concept of green shipping. They allow OOCL to further improve its service offering while reducing the environmental impact per TEU. This allows OOCL to create a benefit that will be shared with its customers and indeed with all stakeholders, a true example of win-win cooperation,” he said.

‘OOCL Piraeus’ has joined OOCL’s Asia-Europe LL3 service since June.

Her port rotation is: Shanghai / Xiamen / Nansha / Hong Kong / Yantian / Cai Mep / Singapore / Piraeus / Hamburg / Rotterdam / Zeebrugge / Valencia / Piraeus / Abu Dhabi / Singapore / Shanghai on an 84-day round trip.

OOCL has ordered a total of twelve container ships with a capacity of 24,188 TEU from 2020.

Of this total of twelve vessels, OOCL Piraeus is the second vessel to be delivered following the delivery of OOCL Spain earlier in the year.

The port of Piraeus welcomed OOCL SPAIN on April 17, 2023, on its maiden voyage.

This specific container ship will also approach the Station’s facilities and will now be regularly included in its itineraries.

The choice of Piraeus as an intermediate transfer station is primarily attributed to the high level of services provided by SEP SA. in terms of the speed of service of vessels and cargo in transit, the technological superiority of the services offered, as well as its strategic location, which makes it a key hub for sea freight flows to and from Southeast Asia, as well as many other parts of the world.

With a length of 399.9 meters and a width of 61.3 meters, the “OOCL SPAIN”, built in 2023, has a cargo capacity of 24,188 TEUs.

Piraeus Container Management and Distribution Center

It is noted that the Container Management and Distribution Center Piraeus S.A. – PCDC S.A. is already operating in the port of Piraeus, which is a modern storage facility within the Free Zone.

The ideal geostrategic position of the port of Piraeus, as the closest port after the Suez Canal, simultaneously combines all available modes of transport (sea, road, rail and air), provides the optimal solution for cargo management in the shortest possible time and with the greatest possible flexibility to and from Central Europe.

PCDC’s position is ideal for companies interested in creating a hub in order to supply its wider geographical area (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and strengthen transit trade through our country.

This particular center provides a multitude of services that include cargo storage and handling performed in a facility located within SEBO Piraeus, right next to the port piers and within the Free Zone.

This particularity offers the possibility of direct transport of the containers without customs formalities since it is the underlying cargo and without transport costs except that of the deposit from the port to the PCDC Warehouse.

It is noted that after a long period of time, where the pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war created significant problems in the supply chain, the handling of containers in the port of Piraeus is recovering.

Increase in the handling of containers by the SEP

The handling of containers in May 2023 from the commercial port of Piraeus was at satisfactory levels, which according to port officials is partly attributed to the normalization of conditions in the supply chain.

According to data from Cosco Shipping Ports, in May 2023 a total of 420.4 thousand containers were handled from piers II and III of the Piraeus Container Station compared to 391.7 thousand containers in the same month of 2022, an increase of 7.3%.

On a year-to-year basis, container handling showed an increase of 3% in May 2023 compared to May 2022. A total of 1,840.6 million containers were handled this year compared to 1,786.4 million in the corresponding five months of 2022.

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