After a slightly slower period, in part due to the Eisbeinessen week in Hamburg, the container charter market went into overdrive in the past fortnight with a high level of fixtures highlighting a strong underlying demand for tonnage.
Even the large sizes, which were subdued in the last few months due to a shortage of ships registered record activity, with MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, in particular, securing multiple vessels of 8-10,000 teu in package deals with forward deliveries as far as 2027.
This very forward fixing spree is a bold move and it remains to be seen if other carriers will copy the strategy of the Geneva-based firm.
Forward fixing is in any case becoming the name of the game and is no longer limited to larger vessels. A rising number of smaller ships under 3,000 teu, especially the higher specifications units (energy-efficient ‘Chittagongmaxes’ or ‘Bangkokmaxes’) are also getting fixed or extended with contracts starting in Q2 or Q3 2025 only, which is, historically, very far in advance for this type of ships.
This forward fixing both illustrates carriers’ confidence in market developments and also highlights their desire to get their hands and retain the highest quality charter ships.
Source: Alphaliner
