The global container fleet size surpassed 7,000 vessels for the first time last month, just over three years after it had exceeded 6,000 vessels.
This represents the fastest period in container shipping history to add 1,000 new ships.
According to data from Clarksons Research, this rapid expansion is primarily attributed to the large-scale wave of new shipbuilding orders that emerged post-pandemic in 2021-2022. Analysis agencies predict that the pace of the fleet growing from 7,000 to 8,000 vessels will remain very swift.
Clarksons points out that since the beginning of 2024, global new construction orders have reached 936 vessels, maintaining the continuous growth trend of the container fleet, while the current level of ship scrapping is almost unable to offset the increment from new vessel deliveries.
Data shows: There are currently 1,109 container ships under construction on the global orderbook, with 991 of them scheduled for delivery by the end of 2028.
As of early November, the global container fleet size reached 7,007 vessels, with a total capacity of 32.7 million TEU.
Since the birth of standardized container transport in the 1950s, the global container fleet first reached 1,000 vessels in 1985, followed by 2,000 in 1996, 3,000 in 2002, 4,000 in 2006, surpassed 5,000 in 2010, and crossed 6,000 in 2022.
