Idling of containerships across the global fleet has soared to new high in 2015 reaching 500,00 TEU capacity mark, according to the latest data provided by market analyst Alphaliner.
The increased idleness of containerships across the board has been attributed to softening of charter rates that continue to drop despite rising activity.
In two weeks idle boxships boasting over 500 TEU exceeded 100,000 TEU reaching 175 vessels with 484,000 teu capacity on 24 August.
Based on Alphaliner’s data, there are nine idle ships in the 8,500 – 13,900 teu range amid voiding of sailings on the Asia – Europe trade.
A total of 48 vessels have been reported to be idle in the 1,000 – 2,000 teu range, which is an 11-month high.
It said the number of idle vessels had increased across all segments apart from the 2,000 – 3,000 teu range. In the smaller size range of 1,000 – 2,000 teu there are now 48 idle vessels, an 11-month high.
Only the vessels in the 2,000 – 3,000 teu range fleet remained unaffected.
Alphaliner predicts that the idle fleet will increase further as demand for containerships is expected to worsen in October due to end of the peak season, planned sailing cancellations and service suspensions.