THE recent announcement that Taiwan's Evergreen Line will charter seven 14,000 TEU new containerships for a period of ten years from unnamed owners is welcome news to the already weak charter market, with a very low volume of activity and stagnating charter rates.
The chartering of the seven ships will add to the ten 13,808 TEU container vessels which the shipping line has taken on long-term charter from Enesel SA.
In the overpanamax sector, it has been reported that four wide-beam 5,370 TEU newbuildings for Germany's Schulte Group at the Hanjin Subic Bay shipyard in the Philippines and due for delivery by April 2014 have been fixed to Maersk Line for 12 months at a reported rate of US$16,500.
This is significantly higher than the $13,000 which Maersk agreed to pay in December for a 12-14 months charter on the 5,071 TEU, Thenamaris-controlled, wide beam 'Seadream.'
Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) has fixed the 5,527 TEU, Peter Doehle-controlled 'Talassa' for the Far East-Middle East tradelane. The Talassa is the biggest containership ever chartered by ESL.
In the panamax sector, activity remains low with only two fixtures reported. Hapag-Lloyd fixed the 4,860 TEU Niederelbe-controlled Buxhai for one to three months at $7,250 for Atlantic trading. This disappointing rate is, however, better than the $6,500 presently paid by the vessel's current charterer MSC in the same trading area.
X-Press feeders has extended the 4,800 TEU, 'K' Line-controlled Vancouver Bridge for five to eight months at $7,600, for assignment to its India-China service, run jointly with Evergreen, NYK and Hanjin Shipping.
The 3,000 TEU segment was quiet, with two fixtures reported. Maersk extended the 3,426 TEU, Diana Containerships-controlled 'sagitta' for eight to ten months at $7,400, which is more than the $7,250 the Danish liner operator is currently paying for the ship. CMA CGM fixed the 3,380 TEU Navios Europe-controlled Solar N for two to three months at an unreported rate, intended for its Far East-US Gulf-South US East Coast (PEX 3) service.
After five months of relatively sustained activity, the 2,000-2,500 TEU sector contracted sharply in the last weeks of 2013, with an increasing number of prompt vessels. The usually busy 1,700-1,800 TEU segment was subdued, with little or no demand for tonnage, while the 1,000 TEU segment is dormant, with little movement and some prompt vessels finding it hard to secure new business.
WORLD SHIPPING
12 January 2014 - 20:58
Lacklustre year end for the container shipping charter market
THE recent announcement that Taiwan's Evergreen Line will charter seven 14,000 TEU new containerships for a period of ten years from unnamed owners is welcome news to the already weak charter market, with a very low volume of activity and stagnating charter rates.
WORLD SHIPPING
12 January 2014 - 20:58
Lacklustre year end for the container shipping charter market
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