The second-hand container vessel sale and purchase market had a strong first half of 2025, with 191 cellular vessels changing hands for further trading, for a total of 526,523 TEU.
This compares with 141 ships sold in the same period of 2024, for 572,600 TEU. A further 492,500 TEU changed hands in the second half, bringing the total sold to 1.1 MTEU in 2024.
Continuing the positive trend of 2024, the sale and purchase market was busy most of the time in the first half of 2025, with more than thirty transactions concluded each month on average. Demand for tonnage was strong across the board and for most sizes of ships.
Buyers were in no way deterred by the current multiple uncertainties facing the industry — particularly a possible return of overcapacity when the Red Sea crisis eventually ends.
Tariffs and the USTR, falling freight rates, the ongoing war in Ukraine, the rising tensions between China and Taiwan, and the large orderbook have also failed to discourage ship acquisitions.
Sellers meanwhile have been torn between trading their ships very profitably in the freight and charter markets and selling them, with a number of potential sellers ending up keeping their vessels. As a result, the supply of tonnage available for sale was often tight, particularly (but not only) for larger or higher specification vessels, causing prices to remain high and on a continue rising trend across the board.
MSCCargo was again by far the most active buyer, snapping up a total of 38 vessels (compared to 33 in the same period last year), followed by cmacgm with 19 acquisitions (5 in H1 2024).
Source: Alphaliner
