Container ship demolition activities have reached historic lows.
By mid-2025, less than 4,000 TEU of total capacity have been scrapped worldwide. If the trend remains the same for the second half of the year, 2025 could close with the lowest total TEU ever scrapped in the last two decades.
During the first half of the year, seven container ships, averaging about 500 TEU of capacity per vessel, were sent to shipyards for demolition.
Although 2022 still holds the record for the fewest ships demolished (only five), the total TEU removed from the market that year was about three times higher than in 2025 so far.
The average age of ships demolished in 2025 is 28 years, an average age higher than the last two decades, which averaged around 26 years.
