According to Alphaliner’s recent analysis, the need for fleet renewal is significantly impacting the order books of the top ocean carriers.
Currently, the Top 10 container shipping companies have 431 container ships on order, totaling over 5.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (Mteu) in capacity. Alphaliner notes that this figure is likely to increase as several major newbuilding deals are under negotiation, and many orders from non-operating owners remain unconfirmed by charterers.
This year has seen the largest order book in terms of TEU capacity, driven by carriers’ ambitions to enhance vessel efficiency and utilize alternative fuels like LNG and methanol. Alphaliner highlights that the overarching goal is to reduce costs while lowering CO₂ emissions per container transported over a given distance.
Notably, the Top 10 container lines operate 683 vessels that are 20 years or older, accounting for over 2.6 Mteu of capacity.
Overall, the cellular container fleet now boasts a capacity exceeding 30 million TEU, having added 2.3 million TEU in the past year alone.
Alphaliner’s research reveals that over the last eight years, global container capacity has surged from 20 million TEU to over 30 million TEU, with the pace of growth being more consistent compared to previous expansions.
