GROWTH of the global containership fleet will continue to be led by mega ships with demand for small vessels on a downwards trajectory. Alphaliner said in its weekly newsletter that overall box ship fleet expansion has been driven by demand for larger ships over the last decade and the analysts do not foresee this trend reversing soon.
The global containership fleet's growth has come entirely from vessels with a capacity of at least 5,100 TEU since 2010.
Conversely, the number of ships smaller than 5,100 TEU has reduced significantly. 'The contrast is even more apparent when comparing growth in the size range of over 10,000 TEU, where 505 ships have been added, against the decline in the smaller size ships of below 3,000 TEU, where numbers have dwindled by 211 units,' Alphaliner said.
The existing containership orderbook indicates this trend is ongoing on the back of sustained growth in the 'very large' and 'ultra-large' vessel segments. A total of 121 ships of more than 10,000 TEU are presently on order and scrapping in this size range is not likely to take place within the next five years.
While the fleet segment of below 3,000 TEU has 290 ships on order, the number of smaller ships is anticipated to continue to decrease, as many of the 695 vessels is this sector are at least 20 years old and many will have to be scrapped in the coming years.
Notably, the pipeline for the mid-sized sector has only 12 units of 3,000-3,500 TEU on order. No ships of between 4,000 and 10,000 TEU have been ordered since 2015 and 'the dry spell could continue for a while as owners currently show no interest in such newbuildings, but rather focus on the large (10,000 TEU) and small (3,000 TEU) market segments,' Alphaliner said.
WORLD SHIPPING
The global containership fleet's growth has come entirely from vessels with a capacity of at least 5,100 TEU since 2010.
Conversely, the number of ships smaller than 5,100 TEU has reduced significantly. 'The contrast is even more apparent when comparing growth in the size range of over 10,000 TEU, where 505 ships have been added, against the decline in the smaller size ships of below 3,000 TEU, where numbers have dwindled by 211 units,' Alphaliner said.
The existing containership orderbook indicates this trend is ongoing on the back of sustained growth in the 'very large' and 'ultra-large' vessel segments. A total of 121 ships of more than 10,000 TEU are presently on order and scrapping in this size range is not likely to take place within the next five years.
While the fleet segment of below 3,000 TEU has 290 ships on order, the number of smaller ships is anticipated to continue to decrease, as many of the 695 vessels is this sector are at least 20 years old and many will have to be scrapped in the coming years.
Notably, the pipeline for the mid-sized sector has only 12 units of 3,000-3,500 TEU on order. No ships of between 4,000 and 10,000 TEU have been ordered since 2015 and 'the dry spell could continue for a while as owners currently show no interest in such newbuildings, but rather focus on the large (10,000 TEU) and small (3,000 TEU) market segments,' Alphaliner said.
WORLD SHIPPING