News / Idle box ship fleet at record lows as carriers drain charter market of tonnage

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Despite more than two million teu of newbuild container vessels joining the global fleet so far this year, the pool of open tonnage remains at a record low.

This presents a significant challenge to carrier ship managers looking to compensate for schedule delays and essential dry-docking by tapping into the charter market.

According to a survey by Alphaliner, there were only 67 vessels, with a capacity of 195,159 teu, recorded as commercially idle on 12 August, ...