According to Alphaliner, in its latest report, the ship-breaking market is booming again after a sluggish 2022. In the first few months of 2023, in fact, shipowning companies sold 28 container ships, totaling 48,555 TEU, to cash buyers and through them to hull disposal and recycling centres. In contrast, no units were sold for scrapping in the previous year.
The boxships being sold average around 28 years old. 80% of sales involved vessels with a 1,000-to-2,000 TEU capacity. The smallest vessel sold was the Levant Horizon, with a 591 TEU capacity, while the largest, the Flora, has a 6572 TEU capacity.
The top sellers were Wan Haui, selling 10 vessels built around 1990 (with capacities ranging from 1088 to 1368 TEU) for demolition and Singapore’s Transworld Group selling 4 ships.
Alphaliner also points out that MSC is back on the scrapping scene after a long absence. In the first months of the year the carrier sold three units built in 1980: MSC Floriana (1911 TEU); MSC Giovanna (2098 TEU) and MSC Veronique (4809 TEU). A fourth unit, the MSC Nora II, built in 1999, was sold a few days ago.
Translation by Giles Foster
