First ULCS to reach 20 years in fleet of ‘jumbo pioneer’ Maersk

by Editor

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A look at the fleet profiles of the global Top-10 ocean carriers unsurprisingly reveals many similarities in terms of fleet age and vessel size. However, despite these, there are also quite a number of fleet ‘fingerprints’ that highlight different approaches when it comes to how a shipping line’s fleet is structured.

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The world’s largest shipping line MSCCargo, for example, is the only major carrier with a sizable fleet of ships over the age of 30 years. Many of these were secondhand acquisitions, part of the giant pool of more than 400 used ships which MSC bought over the five years since the Coronavirus pandemic.

The above-average percentage of ships in MSC’s fleet that will reach 30 years of age by 2030 is one explanation for the carrier’s massive order book. Ironically, many of the ageing MSC ships are vessels that the shipping line acquired from Maersk, such as a series of Odense-built 9,000+ teu ships.

The global number two, Maersk, on the other hand, does not have a single vessel over the age of 30 in its fleet. However, being the jumbo ship pioneer near the turn of the Millennium, the Danish liner operator is today the only shipping line with a stable of ULCS (ultra large container ships) that are about to hit 20 years of age.

Another thing that is clearly visible in the fleet profiles of all major carriers is the ten-year dry spell when it comes to the new construction of mid-sized vessels.

Source: Alphaliner