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The world merchant fleet expanded to 857.0 million deadweight tons (dwt) at
the beginning of 2004, a 1.5 per cent increase.
Newbuilding deliveries increased marginally to 49.2 million dwt and tonnage
broken up and lost declined by 16.1 per cent to 25.6 million dwt, leaving a
net gain of 23.6 million dwt.
According to the latest issue of the Maritime Review 2004 published recently
by UNCTAD, the fleet of oil tankers and dry bulk carriers, which together
make up 72.9 per cent of the total world fleet, increased by 4.1 per cent
and 2.5 per cent respectively.
There was a 9.3 per cent increase from 82.8 to 90.5 million dwt in the
container ship fleet and a 7.6 per cent increase from 19.5 to 20.9 million
dwt in the liquefied gas carriers fleet, the Review noted.
The average age of the world fleet dropped marginally to 12.5 years, with
almost 27.7 per cent of the fleet 20 years and over.
General cargo vessels had the oldest average age at 17.4 years and container
vessels were the youngest at 9.2 years.
Meanwhile the reviewing the freight market, the UN publication noted that
2003 was a good year for the tanker market.
Overall volume of seaborne crude oil trade increased by 3.4 per cent, it
said.
The average freight indices for all types of tankers, except all-size clean
carriers, were as good as those recorded in 2000, which was a good year for
tanker owners.
On the freight market for container trades, the Review said by the end of
2003 the level of freight rates on the main containerized routes-
trans-Pacific, transatlantic and Asia-Europe-were mostly above the levels
that prevailed at the end of 2002.
The trans-Pacific eastbound leg recorded the highest increase-23.7 per
cent-followed by the westbound routes Asia-Europe and Europe-United States,
which recorded increases of 16.1 and 15.8 per cent respectively.
The two other routes originating in the United States recorded single-digit
reductions in freight rates. |
