Feeder ships now in demand as availability drops

Boxship chartering activity has turned to the feeder sizes, as supply in this size segment starts diminishing.

MB Shipbrokers (formerly Maersk Broker) said the market managed to gain some momentum the past week.

“We forecasted increased activity in the 2,500 -2,800 TEU segment – and we have indeed seen a pick-up in discussions, with a few units reportedly fixed on subjects for a variety of periods,” said the brokerage.

“With several open inquiries for tonnage available in the first half of 2025, we expect additional fixtures to emerge. As the tonnage supply remains limited, we envisage the next few weeks to display a very competitive market with the owners gaining pricing power,” added MB Shipbrokers, which also sees “uncovered demand” in most tonnage segments for the first half.

The brokerage noted reluctance from the operators to discuss positions from Q3 onwards, but this has slowly changed this week with MB Shipbrokers seeing a pick-up in fixing activity for the 2025 second half.

Reported fixtures show that Swire Shipping fixed Songa Group’s 1,794 TEU Songa Lioness for US$22,500/day for two years, while CMA CGM chartered Heinz Ehler KG’s 1,421 TEU Heinrich Ehler for €19,600/day for a year.

Alison Koo
Asia Correspondent

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