9% of global fleet idle in downturn

In a recently published overseas report, just under 1400 vessels, about 9% of the global fleet of container ships, bulk carriers, tankers, refrigerated cargo ships and car carriers, are inactive in locations throughout the world.

Locations in Asia appear to be the most popular choice where 750 of these ships are idle.

About 11.4% of the boxship fleet, or 564 vessels, are laid up, with 321, including 27 of more than 5000TEU, anchored at places like Majishan (China), Hong Kong and Singapore.

Of the laid-up types, a further 280 have found sanctuary in Europe.

Inactive ships are those for which no movements or automatic identification system signals are received for 35 days.

In the case of container vessels the time limit is 19 days.

Also hard hit by the global economic downturn are lng (liquefied natural gas) carriers, pure car and truck carriers and reefer vessels.

Some 11% of the lng fleet, dominated by ships under five years of age, is said to be out of action.

Almost 12% of the world fleet of pure car and truck vessels are in some form of lay-up.

Shipbuilding is also another major casualty of the current recession, with repercussions affecting not only yards, but also engine builders and major suppliers to the industry.

According to one source, 357 orders for vessels of all types, have been cancelled.

This total includes 281 bulk carriers.

Of the 357 vessels, 138 were to be built in South Korea, 130 in China and 44 in Vietnam.

The demolition market has been very active of late, with older bulk carriers, car carriers, tankers and boxships making their final voyages to the Indian sub-continent.

It is claimed that container-ship demolition activity will reach new heights this year. Lines taking the most aggressive action in disposing of elderly tonnage are Japan's MOL and the Mediterranean Shipping Company which operates more than 40 vessels aged 25 years or more.

One of these I mentioned recently was the 34,382gt, 2328TEU MSC Antwerp.

This vessel which made six local calls from March 21, 2008, to March 13, 2009, went to Alang a few weeks ago for breaking up.

Completed by the Flender Werft yard at Lubeck in March 1996, as Alva Maersk, the ship was subsequently lengthened twice and in 1985 was converted from steam turbine to diesel propulsion.

After being sold out of the Maersk fleet in 1995, the ship then spent the rest of its career sailing under the Greek flag, on charter from the Costamare Shipping group.

Renamed Maersk Vancouver in 1995, it had a brief spell as Vancouver in 1998, before doing its first stint as MSC Antwerp until 2003.

It then spent the next two years trading as Maersk Bilbao, before reverting to the name MSC Antwerp again in 2005.

But immediately after selling this vessel for scrap in May, Costamare gave the name to a larger 50,501gt, 3808TEU it had operated under the name Sophia Britannia since 1999.

The ship had been built as Kirishima in 1993 for Japanese interests.