News / Carriers eye 'anything floating', while boxship charter market looks to MPVs for tonnage

© Björn Wylezich

A dearth of containerships for hire on the charter market has potentially brought lucrative opportunities for embattled multipurpose vessel (MPV) owners.

The number of container vessels idled around the world has fallen dramatically, from more than 500 in June to just 92 on 9 November, according to Alphaliner.

Moreover, the majority of these are unavailable for charter, as they are either undergoing scrubber retrofits, are the subject of legal process or, in the case of 22 Iranian-owned ships, stymied by sanctions.

“Basically, carriers ...