World fleet in the doldrums - Unctad report

The world fleet grew by
3.5% during the 12 months
to January 1, 2015 – the
lowest annual growth rate in
over a decade,
according
to the 2015
United Nations
Conference
on Trade and
Development
(Unctad) Review
of Maritime
Transport.
In total, at the
beginning of the
year, the world’s
commercial
fleet consisted
of 89 464 vessels, with a total
tonnage of 1.75 billion dwt.
The average age of the world
fleet increased slightly during
2014.
A combination of fewer
new vessels and reduced
scrapping activity meant
that newer tonnage no longer
compensated for the natural
aging of the fleet.
Greece continues to be the
largest ship-owning country,
followed by Japan, China,
Germany and Singapore.
Together, the top five shipowning
countries control
more than half of the world
tonnage.
Five of the top 10 shipowning
countries are
from Asia, four
are European
and one is from
the Americas,
according to the
review.
The
industry is also
continuing to
consolidate,
according to the
review.
While the
container-carrying capacity
per provider per country
tripled between 2004 and
2015, the average number
of companies that provide
services from/to each
country’s ports decreased by
29%.
Both trends illustrate two
sides of the same coin: as ships
get bigger and companies
aim at achieving economies
of scale, the number of lines
serving individual markets is
decreasing.
INSERT
Fast Facts
• Largest shipowning
country –
Greece
• Top 5 ship-owning
countries control
more than half of
world tonnage
• World's commercial
fleet in 2015 –
89 464