News / Healthier new year for container charter market, but owners still have concerns

The containership charter market has entered 2018 in a much healthier state than it was a year ago, but shipowners remain concerned about the impact of liner consolidation on vessel employment.

Alphaliner’s charter index finished 2017 46% higher than 12 months previously, with all sectors recording improvements in what the consultant described as “unusual strength in ship demand in the traditionally slack winter season”.

But it was the smaller sizes that saw the biggest rises: for example, a 4,400 teu panamax vessel ...