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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".