Deliveries of container ship newbuildings have hit a new annual record, according to Bimco figures.
Boxship deliveries this year have surpassed last year’s record and will top 3m teu by the end of 2024, Bimco chief shipping analyst Niels Rasmussen said.
A total of 410 ships with a capacity of 2.5m teu have been delivered, compared with the previous full-year high of 2.3m teu in 2023.
Another 500,000 teu is scheduled to be delivered during the rest of 2024, the analyst noted.
Deliveries so far this year have increased the size of the container fleet by 2.4m teu to 6,699 ships with a capacity of 30.4m teu.
That growth could persist as owners have been placing orders since June.
“So far this year, contracting is already more than double that of last year’s total and 286 ships with a capacity of 3.3m teu have been added to the orderbook,” Rasmussen said.
Liner driven
The orderbook of 7.6m teu so far accounts for 25% of the total container fleet.
That is largely due to orders by operating owners, or liner companies, which are at a record high of 5.9m teu.
That tally accounts for 78% of the orderbook and will push up the share of the fleet held by the liner companies from only 60% at present.
Ships ranging from 12,000 teu to 17,000 teu will be the main drivers of growth in the coming years, accounting for 47% of the capacity in the orderbook.
Container ships larger than 17,000 teu make up 27% of the orderbook.
During the next four years, an average of 1.7m teu is scheduled to be delivered each year and 300,000 teu is already planned for delivery in 2029, Bimco said.
The growth of the fleet will also depend on future recycling strategies, Rasmussen added.
