The industry has for long seen container shortage, shortage of terminals at ports, but now another shortage is rising which is the shortage of container carriers. Industry experts warn that despite the orders for new builds, the industry is heading towards a container carrier shortage due to the growing demand for ships and the complexity of retooling them for environmental reasons.
Chief executives at ZIM say tight supply of ships is looming given that many lines have hesitated to order new ships till this year and many of the older vessels are overdue for scrapping. Sounding a similar concern Clarksons said the number of shipyards globally has dropped by two-third to about 115, since 2007. The shipyards functional today have a deluge of orders after shipping lines raked in unprecedented profits over 2020-21.
