According to a report by Clarksons Research, the total capacity of the global container fleet has surpassed the 20 million TEU threshold for the first time. The company views this as a significant milestone in the sector’s rapid growth process.
According to sea-news.az citing Seanews.az, the report highlights that the need for container vessels under 3,000 TEU capacity is expected to rise in the coming years. This demand is driven by a structural imbalance in the global fleet between small and large-capacity vessels. While the current order book for vessels under 3,000 TEU accounts for only 10% of the existing fleet capacity, this figure reaches 33% for vessels exceeding 8,000 TEU.
Clarksons Research also notes that approximately 70% of the 724 container ships sent for scrap since 2012 were vessels smaller than 3,000 TEU. Furthermore, the feeder fleet has been in a downward trend since the second half of 2011, and no significant capacity growth is expected in this segment over the next two years.
The report concludes that since the ability to deploy ultra-large container ships on regional routes is limited, any future need for additional capacity in regional trade will likely further increase the demand for small-capacity feeder vessels.
