The analyst said in its weekly newsletter that the idle fleet of vessels over 500 teu had surged 100,000 teu over a two-week period to reach 175 vessels with 484,000 teu capacity on 24 August.
It said the number of idle vessels had increased across all segments apart from the 2,000 – 3,000 teu range. In the smaller size range of 1,000 – 2,000 teu there are now 48 idle vessels, an 11-month high.
Larger vessels have also been affected as lines blanked sailings on the Asia – Europe trade and nine ships in the 8,500 – 13,900 teu range are reported to be idle.
With the market remaining weak the idle fleet is expected to grow. “The lacklustre demand is expected to worsen further in October: linked to the end of the peak season, more planned sailing cancellations and upcoming service suspensions are expected to further push up idle vessel figures,” the report said.
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