Idle boxfleet at highest level on record

The idle containership fleet has continued to climb as carriers are adjusting their capacities for the winter season. Alphaliner?s latest idle containership survey shows that 572 ships are currently unemployed, for 1.52 Metu, representing 11.7% of the cellular fleet, the highest idle rate on record.

The rise in the idle fleet was led by carrier-controlled tonnage, which reached 871,000 teu or 6.7% of the total cellular fleet. Service rationalisations for the winter slack season contributed to an increase in the number of large ships left without employment. A total of 74 vessels of 5,000 TEU and above are now unemployed compared to 61 such vessels a fortnight ago. The CKYH carriers are at the origin of most of the increase, pushing the idle fleet of the four carriers to a total of 229,000 TEU.

The non-operating owners (NOO) saw a slight decrease in their idle ranks, as recent charter market activity triggered mostly by new intra-Asia services has led to the reactivation of units smaller than 3,000 teu. The total number of idle ships under 3,000 teu dropped slightly from 340 units two weeks ago to 325 vessels.

The idle fleet is expected to rise further in the next few weeks as the winter season adjustments continue and is expected to peak in February before receding in March/April when the spring season starts.