INTERNATIONAL shipbroker Braemar Seascope has reported that 56 per cent of new containership capacity delivered over the past two years entered the Asia-North Europe and Asia-Mediterranean trades.
    It said that 2.6 million TEU of newbuilding capacity has been delivered over this period with 1.5 million TEU being absorbed by the Asia-Europe trades.
    In 2011 alone, "59 post-Panamax containerships, with an average capacity of 11,500 TEU, entered Asia-Europe services, adding 680,000 TEU of fresh capacity", Braemar was cited as saying in a report by the American Shipper.
    "Additionally, 15 containerships of an average 8,400 TEU were delivered and deployed on Asia-Mediterranean and a developing Asia-Middle East trade lane, adding more than 125,000 TEU of new capacity."
    The Asia-east coast South America route also absorbed a significant amount of the new tonnage delivered over the past two years, with 40 newbuildings entering service, including high reefer capacity vessels of more than 7,000 TEU which were introduced by Maersk Line and Hamburg Sud.
    "In 2011, this emerging Latin American container route accounted for more than 10 per cent of all new capacity commissioned," Braemar said. "Another developing container trade lane, Asia-West Africa, witnessed deployment of 11 newbuildings last year, including the first of a newbuilding series of twenty-two 4,500-TEU geared vessels designed for the West African-Asian trade."
    Said Braemar analyst Jonathan Roach: "For the next three years we expect another four million TEU to hit the water, which includes 150 containerships with a capacity of 10,000 TEU or more."
    London's Containerisation International noted that according to Clarkson Research Services' latest Container Intelligence Monthly, the global containership fleet capacity will increase 7.3 per cent this year, with an estimated 67 per cent of the capacity to be delivered being over 8,000 TEU.

(source:shipping online)