Laid up containership fleet falls to 234

THE idle containership fleet has decreased by 66,000 TEU to 482,000 TEU, or 3.5 per cent of the existing cellular fleet, the lowest level of idling since December 2008.

A total of 234 container vessels are currently idling according to Alphaliner's latest survey, with only seven units above 5,000 TEU, compared to 533 idle vessels, including 52 ships of above 5,000 TEU in the same month last year.

"The peak season demand is markedly stronger this year compared to last year and the introduction of new tonnage so far has not had any negative impact on freight levels," the report said.

The Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) reached a high of 1,502 points last week, having risen by 50.2 per cent since the index was introduced in mid-October last year.

"Space on headhaul routes on most major trade lanes is expected to be tight over the next few months. This has prompted carriers to introduce peak season surcharges (PSS) on a number of trade lanes in June, much earlier than usual. A shortage of containers has also led to the introduction of container imbalance surcharges. Such fees were introduced by some carriers in April," Alphaliner added.
(Source:www.schednet.com)