Shipping界 news, recent reports about the resumption of shipping in the Red Sea and “overcapacity” have been flooding screens. However, data shows that container ship demolitions have hit a historical low, the idle rate is less than 1%, and the unstoppable newbuilding orders along with a large number of long-term charter deals indicate that almost all container ships are currently busy making money.
Order Surge
The current container newbuilding market remains very hot. Alphaliner data shows that compared to the number of orders in early October, CMA CGM Group, HMM, and Hapag-Lloyd are leading this wave of newbuilding orders.
Alphaliner data shows that as of November 27, 2025, the global container fleet size reached 7,473 ships, with a capacity of 33.492 million TEU.
Meanwhile, the global orderbook for new container ships reached a record high of over 1,109 ships or 11.25 million+ TEU, equivalent to 34% of the existing fleet. Among these, 991 ships are scheduled for delivery before the end of 2028.
HMM places order for 4 x 13,400 TEU container ships at Hanwha Ocean
On November 28, Hanwha Ocean confirmed that it has received an order from HMM for 4 x 13,400 TEU container ships, expected to be delivered in 2029. In other words, HMM’s order for 12 x 13,400 TEU container ships has been finalized.
Specifically, according to tracking reports by Shipping界网, compared to data from early October, CMA CGM Group’s orderbook increased by 12 ships to 142 ships, or 1.824 million TEU, accounting for 44.7% of its existing capacity; HMM’s current orderbook increased by 11 ships to 16 ships, or 190,000 TEU, accounting for 18.7% of its total existing capacity. At the same time, Hapag-Lloyd’s orderbook increased by 8 ships to 40 ships, or 401,000 TEU, accounting for 16.6% of its total existing capacity.
Furthermore, this also indicates that the much-watched order by Hapag-Lloyd for 22 feeder container ships ranging from 1,800 to 4,500 TEU has not yet been fully finalized or is still pending confirmation.
Source: Hapag-Lloyd
It is particularly worth mentioning that, in terms of the ratio of orderbook to existing fleet capacity, Regional Container Lines (RCL)’s orderbook reaches 20 ships or 144,188 TEU, equivalent to 139% of its existing fleet capacity. Meanwhile, the orderbooks of TS Lines and Wan Hai Lines account for 73.9% and 62.6% of their existing capacities respectively, indicating that they are significantly expanding their fleets and fully preparing for changes in the future competitive landscape of the global shipping market.
Interestingly, the latest data suggests that the 12 x 18,000 TEU newbuilding orders that Maersk is actively advancing are also still pending finalization or confirmation.
Source: Maersk
Container Ship Demolitions Hit Lowest Level
Meanwhile, data shows that so far this year, only 14 container ships, or 9,857 TEU, have been demolished, reaching the lowest level since the pandemic.
Container Ships Operating at “Full Capacity”
Meanwhile, Alphaliner’s bi-weekly idle fleet data shows that the idle rate of the container fleet remains at a historical low, less than 1% of the fleet. Container ships can be considered to be operating at “full capacity”.
In short, the container shipping market is never short of surprises, and “black swan” events can happen at any time… Leading liner companies, represented by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), currently prefer to expand their fleet sizes or lock in capacity, creating more agile, flexible, and resilient supply chains to prepare for a future that is more “fragmented” and “volatile”.
Analysts point out that almost all maritime “money printers” are busy making money, suggesting that market concerns about “overcapacity” are exaggerated.
