This week, container ship ordering news was dominated by the order by Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) for eight 13,400 TEU container ships.In a newly released report, the International Federation of Freight Forwarders
This week, container ship ordering news was dominated by the order by Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) for eight 13,400 TEU container ships.
In a newly released report, the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) notes that the container fleet is aging. As of August 2025, the average fleet age of the top 10 shipping lines is relatively mature at around 13 years old, although there is variation amongst the different shipping companies. Evergreen and HMM currently operate the youngest fleet with an average age of nine years, whilst MSC (16 years) and Maersk (14 years) show a heavier reliance on older vessels.
“This suggests that there will soon be a significant pool of ships nearing the end of their competitive lifespan. As a result, once the Red Sea situation eases, it is unlikely that all this capacity will translate into an increase in available capacity.”
This is confirmed by data on scrappage between 2023 and 2025. Scrapping has been minimal in recent years, accounting for just 0.38% of the fleet in 2023, and only 0.02% in 2025 year to date. “This suggests that older, less efficient vessels are currently in use, given the extra demand created
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