Scrubber uptake in container shipping has slowed, as the proportion of the fleet fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems reached 42% in January 2026, but growth decelerated sharply compared with earlier years. The proportion of the total cellular container fleet fitted with scrubbers reached 42% in January 2026, its highest ever level, but a significant […]
Container fleet utilisation remains strong at the start of 2026, with vessel idling firmly below 1%, as Alphaliner counted 83 ships with an aggregate slot capacity of 212,327 teu as commercially idle in the final days of 2025. In the last days of 2025, Alphaliner counted 83 ships with an aggregate slot capacity of 212,327 […]
Container port reliability is increasingly under pressure at mega container hubs, where the operational challenge is no longer scale but complexity — with rising connectivity eroding schedule performance, as highlighted by Sea-Intelligence. Using UNCTAD’s Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (PLSCI) and port-level schedule reliability data for mid-2025, the analysis highlights a non-linear relationship between connectivity […]
Despite uncertainty across the container shipping sector and rising concerns over future overcapacity, the second-hand container ship market remained active throughout 2025. New figures from Alphaliner show firm prices, strong demand across most vessel sizes, and a limited pool of charter-free tonnage available for sale. Medium-sized ships dominated transaction volumes, while activity at the very […]
The container charter market is closing 2025 on a clearly bullish note. Demand remains strong across all vessel sizes, with charter rates holding at very healthy levels and showing little sign of softening. With no meaningful slowdown expected into year-end, 2025 is shaping up as the strongest year the charter market has seen outside of […]
Container shipping capacity growth over the past year has been concentrated on Africa, the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent trades, according to AlphaLiner’s latest analysis of global fleet deployment. The capacity of the global container fleet increased 7.3% during the past twelve months to 33.2 Mteu. This represents the addition of 2.27 Mteu slots to […]
Panamax container ships continue to occupy a distinct position in global liner shipping, shaped by Panama Canal constraints and regional deployment strategies, as outlined in this overview by AlphaLiner. Technically, the term Panamax refers to a ship that fully matches the maximum lock dimensions of the Panama Canal. In practice, shipping terminology is more flexible, […]
Global bunker prices eased slightly over Week 50, with all major MABUX indices edging lower. According to the latest update, the 380 HSFO index dipped to USD 403.50/MT, approaching the USD 400 threshold, while VLSFO slipped marginally to USD 486.27/MT. The steepest correction came from MGO LS, which dropped USD 9/MT to USD 753.68/MT, although […]
AIS-derived data shared publicly by Alphaliner suggests that, despite headlines about large container ships returning to the Red Sea since the October ceasefire, overall Suez Canal container traffic has not yet recovered. Total container ship transits in October–November reached 304 vessels, down from 331 in the same period last year — an 8.2% year-on-year drop. […]