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Container ship ordering is continuing at such a frantic pace that 2007 is on
course to overtake 2006 as the busiest year on record for new deliveries.
In fact, the orderbook for 2007 may already be larger than next year’s,
while yard space in 2008 is filling up fast.
Latest contracts to be inked include a four ship investment by Islamic
Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, which is ordering four 5,000 teu units from
Hyundai Heavy Industries for 2008 delivery.
In the opening months of this year, with Cosco Container Line, Hapag-Lloyd,
Hyundai Merchant Marine, and United Arab Shipping Co were also among those
adding to their fleets.
This brings the 2007 orderbook to 1.22m teu, according to provisional
estimates from Braemar Container Shipping & Chartering, just a fraction
below the 2006 delivery schedule of 1.26 million TEUs.
Other brokers similarly say 2006 and 2007 completions are running neck and
neck.
Industry sources believe the big yards are now just about full for 2007
deliveries of post-panamax containership tonnage.
According to BRS-Alphaliner forecast said the orderbook, while large, “does
not seem oversized,” even though the 2007 numbers “look a little bit on the
high side.”
The Paris broker puts the total orderbook at 3.9 million TEUs or 53 per cent
of the existing fleet.
The firm predicts supply-demand ratio should return to balance late this
year or next, but BRS-Alphaliner admits it is difficult to guess how the
market will behave beyond that.
Braemar estimates that the number of ships in the 3,000 TEUs to 4,000 TEUs
range on order for 2005 delivery stands at 191, followed by 195 in 2006.
But so far for 2007, only 140 completions in that size bracket are
scheduled, leaving room for plenty more orders to be placed and adding to
the rate of fleet expansion. |
