From the beginning of 2024, the capacity of the global fleet of container ship increased by 1.6 million TEUs. With respect to A year ago, capacity increased by +11% to to 29.5 million TEUs, fleet growth that is the most of the last 15 years. This was highlighted by Niels Rasmussen, head of Shipping analyst of the international association of operators BIMCO seafarers, underlining that in the first half of This year, the delivery of new ships reached a new high, with 264 container carriers delivered to shipowners by shipyards naval vehicles, two-thirds more than in the first half last year when the previous record was set.

Rasmussen specified that the high demand for ships has helped to keep the level of ship dismantling low, with only 36 container ships with a total capacity of 51,000 TEUs recycled during the first half of 2024.

In addition, the BIMCO analyst pointed out that, despite the fact that With these records, shipowners have continued to issue orders for new ships and since the beginning of 2024 a total of of 63 ships with a total capacity of 0.4 million TEUs and the order-to-fleet ratio remains high at 19%. «Yes, Now," he explained, "the Orderbook includes orders for delivery in 2028 and an average of 1.5 million TEUs are expected to be delivered every year between 2025 and 2027".

Referring to the composition of the world fleet of container ship, Rasmussen specified that the capacity global vessels from 12,000-17,000 TEUs has grown more and now this segment is the largest of the world fleet representing 22% of the total. The capacity of this segment grew by +25% year-on-year and the growth accounted for nearly 50% of overall growth of the fleet. Specifying that also in 2022 and 2023 the segment of ships from 12,000-17,000 TEUs was the main engine Rasmussen announced that this segment will dominate growth in the coming years as well, given that it constitutes more than 50% of the capacity ordered. Capacity ships above 17,000 TEUs dominated growth in the period 2015-2021, but represent only 17% of capacity in the order backlog. The attention of shipowners - observed BIMCO analyst - has moved away from the most large because they are operationally limited to ports in Asia and Europe, and the 212 ships already in service cover the most of these routes.

"It is expected," Rasmussen continued, "that the capacity of the container fleet will exceed the 30 million TEUs at the end of the third quarter and will reach 30.5 million by the end of 2024. By the end of 2027, The current order book will add another 4.3 million TEU. As volume growth is unlikely to of goods corresponds to this expansion - he concluded - We expect ship recycling to increase and limit the overall growth of the fleet. Moreover, if ships could finally return to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, the demand for ships would decrease".