Carriers face another five years of instability

Container market turmoil is set to last until the end of the decade if the market fundamentals are to be believed, with growing overcapacity and stalling growth limiting the shipping industry’s room for manoeuvre.

Since the beginning of the decade a number of crises have seen the shipping lines boost their profits as first Covid congestion, then the Ever Given and more recently the Red Sea diversions have absorbed capacity and bolstered both spot and contract rates.