News / Carriers consider laying-up box ships as blanking fails to prop up rates

© Eq Roy

The idled containership fleet has breached the 1m teu capacity milestone – and is set to jump significantly higher as carriers prepare to temporarily suspend services rather than blank sailings.

According to Alphaliner, as of 24 October, the number of inactive containerships either in drydock or seeking employment had reached 284, for a capacity of 1.2m teu, representing 4.6% of the global cellular fleet.

At the peak of demand in February, as carriers squeezed the charter market dry in pursuit of every ...