Mega carriers drive up container demand

Vessels delivered in first half of 2006 can carry 662 000 TEUs ALAN PEAT ONE OF the main driving forces in the current heavy demand for new containers – and the higher prices - is the increasing number of mega container carriers coming off the stocks at shipbuilding yards around the world. For example, these very large container ships (VLCS) – all of 7 500 TEU capacity and more – have accounted for a large proportion of the deliveries so far this year. According to the latest figures carried by AXSLiner Weekly, 116 cellular ships were delivered in the first six months of 2006 – capable of carrying a total of 662 000 TEUs. Of these, the 36 VLCS deliveries accounted for 312 000 TEUs. They also constituted 32% of the total order book – which is again on the rise. During the first six months 185 orders were placed for a total of 795 000 TEU capacity – with a whacking order for 240 000 TEUs in the month of June alone. The order book at the end of June represented 4.5-million TEUs – which is over half the capacity of the existing global fleet of container ships.