Charter fleet's share at lowest level since 2002
The share of the container fleet owned by charter owners has declined to 40%, the lowest level since 2002, according to Niels Rasmussen, chief shipping analyst at Bimco. Over the past twelve years, the charter fleet has grown at an annual rate of 3.2%, reaching 11.7 million teu.
However, the operator owners’ fleet has grown faster, reducing the charter owners’ share from 50% in 2012. The peak period for charter owners was between 2009 and 2012, coinciding with the rise of German KGs.
Today, the top 20 charter owners control 65% of the charter fleet, with significant contributions from Chinese leasing companies. The availability of short-term charters has also decreased, with fewer large ships entering the short-term market.
Consequently, only about 25% of the total fleet’s capacity is available for short-term charters, which limits the operators' flexibility to adjust their fleets. The charter fleet's share is expected to decline further, as charter owners’ order books have significantly fallen from 3.4 million teu to 1.0 million teu in the past two years, now representing only 16% of the total order book. (pb)