PRESS ROOM

With our comprehensive portfolio of ocean freight forwarding services around the globe, the U-Freight Group (UFL) notes that almost 6% of the global container ship fleet is now idle, up from just under 5% a week ago, according to Alphaliner.

It appears that it is mainly the carrier-controlled small and mid-sized vessels that are now unemployed.

Alphaliner suggests that 338 vessels totalling around 1.48 million teu are now inactive, as freight levels, cargo volumes, and port congestion revert to pre-Covid-19 levels.

The inactive fleet was dominated by 1,000 teu to 2,000 teu ships, with 74 idle vessels followed by 3,000 teu to 5,100 teu range, of which there were 64 idle vessels.

Vessel inactivity increased across all ship size classes with the exception of very large and ultra large ships above 12,500 teu, where it remained more or less stable, with just 31 inactive ships.

Idle ships are defined as vessels that are not generating revenue, such as those in warm or cold lay-up, in-between service assignments for longer-than-normal periods, arrested, detained, abandoned, or idle for any other reasons.

Alphaliner said, “Even with slow steaming and the deferment of newbuilding deliveries, the falling freight rates and crumbling cargo volumes continue to push the amount of commercially idle tonnage up. For now, however, this unemployed fleet grows somewhat slower than expected.”

You can find more information about the U-Freight Group’s ocean freight services on this website or by speaking to your usual contact in our company.