Comment / More luck than judgment? Top 10 box lines enjoy elusive balance

ID 9961859 © Chaoss | Dreamstime.com

Have the major container lines inadvertently stumbled upon the right balance of demand and supply?

Shipping’s eternal quandary

How to match capacity with cargo when demand can turn on a dime, or a tweet, while ships take two-plus years to build?

Container shipping has been looking at an impending overcapacity crisis for at least the last 18 months, as vessels ordered during the pandemic began to hit the water just as demand for shipping began to normalise.

Carriers’ balance sheets* faced ruination but were ...