Global liner fleet volume now over 30 million teu

Global liner fleet volume now over 30 million teu

As a provider of international container shipping services, including LCL and FCL import and export operations, Davies Turner notes that the global liner vessel fleet has reached 30 million teu for the first time in history, according to market analyst, Alphaliner.

With Asian shipyards set to deliver a record volume of newbuildings this year, the growth curve of the global container fleet is a sight to behold. By 2001, the global container fleet was around five million teu, which took around 50 years. In the last seven years, it has increased from 20 million teu to 30 million teu.

Nearly 500 containerships with a capacity of 3.1 million teu are scheduled for delivery this year, according to BIMCO, which is 41% higher than the record achieved in 2023 and will lead to an increase of around 10% in container fleet capacity this year.

With no sign of a let up in ship orders, the increase from 30 million to 35 million slots is expected to be very quick, and in a recent container markets report, Braemar noted that there are an enormous amount of newbuilding negotiations ongoing.

What this all does for the demand and supply balance, ship availability and rates, remains to be seen.

For more information about Davies Turner’s ocean freight forwarding and logistics services, please contact ocean@daviesturner.co.uk or visit the relevant pages of this website.