The Marit Maersk has sailed into the Port of Hamburg and into the record books as the longest container ship to visit the port.

Measuring 367m in length, the vessel has arrived at the Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg following its maiden voyage from Danish shipyard Odense.

From Hamburg, it is due to begin operating on Maersk Line's Europe-Far East service. Heading to south-east Asia via the Suez Canal, the ship is due to arrive in Singapore on 9 March and from there will head for North America.

The vessel is 42.8m wide and some 15m longer than the previous largest visitor, according to the port authorities, with space for 7,000 TEUs and a total of 544 reefer container slots.

Maersk has also reported fuel cost savings of around 10 per cent with the new ship.

Marit Maersk, the fifth in a series of six vessels, is registered in Skovshoved and commanded by Captain Benny Otto Rasmussen, with Torben Dam Hjortshøj as chief engineer.