Containership owners enlarging the size of existing ships and newbuildings on order will push the proportion of vessels over 5,100 teu to more than 50% of the fleet by 2014.
In three years’ time vessels over 10,000 teu will also make up 17% of the global boxship fleet, container consultancy Alphaliner predicts, up from 10% at the end of 2011.
“Several owners recently upgraded the capacities of ships they had ordered earlier through such renegotiations. Such up-grades add extra capacity that has an impact on the supply forecast,” Alphaliner said in its latest weekly report.
It referred to examples such as Marseilles-headquartered CMA CGM upgrading three 13,830 teu units on order at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea to capacities of 16,000 teu each.
Also, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd is increasing the capacity of six 8,750 teu units on order at Hyundai Heavy Industries to 13,100 teu each.
“The relative under-investment in smaller containerships will lead to a fall in the share of ships below 3,000 teu from 30% to 24% by the end of 2014, based on current delivery forecasts.”
Other examples of upgrades were of Singapore-listed NOL turning its 8,400 teu units on order at DSME to 9,200 teu and Maersk Line increasing capacity of existing vessels. It is said to be boosting capacity of its S-class ships from 8,200-8,600 teu to 9,600 teu by raising the wheelhouse on these vessels, which were built between 1997-2002, to allow further containers to be stacked on deck.