This will help, in the event of a turnaround in the market. As owners feared further price increases, they ordered ships by batches. All types of ships were affected. This is good news for owners of chartered tonnage as massive ordering of large container ships is raising some worries. These price rises combined with a depressed euro is a bonus for European yards.
Several operators consider VLCSs.
China Shipping Group is considering 9,000 teu ships. Most of the pure reefer ships built during the past decade are fitted to carry containers on deck and, in some cases, under deck. Our count shows that 178 of them offer an intake above 100 teu, for a total of 44,000 teu. The year 2000 started bullish and is finishing on a bearish trend. Rates reached their peaks in September.