News / More service cuts announced as fleet of idle containerships hits record level

© Kok Keong Ng

Idled global container capacity has reached a record high of 1.57m teu, according to the latest data from Alphaliner.

And one-third of the laid-up tonnage consists of unemployed containerships of 7,500-19,000 teu.

The 352 laid-up ships, as of 11 March, account for 7.8% of the global container vessel fleet – a number expected to grow with 1.25m teu of capacity scheduled for delivery this year.

After deductions for vessel scrapping, Alphaliner calculates that the newbuildings will add a full-year fleet growth of 4.3%. This compares with estimated demand ...