The ordering activity for newly built feeder containerships appears to be boosted, as more and more orders are accumulating in the orderbook. In more detail, according to Intermodal, in the first two weeks of October, 16 new orders for feeders were “placed”. Already, last September, which recorded a total of 26 new orders, was the month with the most orders for feeders since June 2024.
So far, from January 1, 2025, the orderbook has been strengthened with a cumulative 157 orders, and today it numbers a total of 293 feeder containerships. At the same time, the orderbook is shaped at 7.54% as a ratio of the existing feeder fleet. Of these ships, approximately 49% will be built in shipyards in China.
The trend of shipowners to proceed with orders for this type of vessel reflects their increased interest in operating in regional markets.
An equally important factor for the expansion of the feeder orderbook is the fact that their age profile now averages 15.2 years. This is the highest recorded average age of this specific fleet. As regulations focusing on mitigating the environmental footprint of shipping are exerting increasing pressure on shipowners, in the near future many of the ships that make up today’s feeder fleet will need to be replaced.
