Carriers have been increasingly relying on vessel ownership to expand their fleets of container vessels in the last few years, at the expense of chartering. Piles of cash accumulated during the Covid bonanza years have given shipping lines the firepower to buy more vessels for their own account. This comes at a time when many traditional non-operating owners (NOOs), especially from Germany, have been in retreat mode preferring to sell their ships rather than embark on significant new projects to renew their fleets. MSC has been the most striking example of a carrier favouring vessel ownership ..read more

Over the Week 19, the MABUX global bunker indices showed a moderate decline. The 380 HSFO index dropped by 6.21 USD, sliding from 557.37 USD/MT last week to 551.16 USD/MT. Similarly, the VLSFO index saw a decrease of 17.53 USD, settling at 664.43 USD/MT compared to 681.96 USD/MT the previous week. The MGO index also declined by 18.44 USD, from 870.63 USD/MT to 852.19 USD/MT). At the time of writing, a moderate downward trend continued in the global bunker market. The MABUX Global Scrubber Spread (SS) – the price gap between 380 HSFO and VLSFO – continued its steady reduction: minus $11.32 ($11 ..read more

During the 18th week, the MABUX global bunker indices showed sideways movement without a sustained trend. The 380 HSFO index rose by 7.20 USD, climbing from 550.35 USD/MT last week to 557.55 USD/MT. Conversely, the VLSFO index continued to decline: minus 6.51 USD (681.25 USD/MT versus 687.76 USD/MT last week). The MGO index fell by 5.28 USD (from 876.08 USD/MT last week to 870.80 USD/MT). At the time of writing, world bunker indices were in a moderate decline trend. The MABUX Global Scrubber Spread (SS) – the price difference between 380 HSFO and VLSFO – continued to decrease: minus $13.71 ($1 ..read more

A review of earnings-by-teu shows a significant change in carriers’ comparative rankings in 2023, with some niche lines now challenging the larger carriers. An Alphaliner study of operating profit (EBIT) per teu lifted in 2023 suggests that US-based Matson, which is primarily a Jones Act carrier with a major presence in the highly lucrative US-domestic trade, earned the highest figure over 2023. It is safe to assume that Matson’s big presence in the Jones Actprotected Hawaii trade is responsible for much of the high per-teu earnings. With the exception of those carriers that posted EBIT losses ..read more

Over the Week 17, the world MABUX bunker indices experienced a modest decline. The 380 HSFO index fell by 3.01 USD: from 553.74 USD/MT last week to 550.73 USD/MT. The VLSFO index decreased by 5.85 USD (688.77 USD/MT versus 694.62 USD/MT last week), consistently staying below the 700 USD mark. The MGO index declined by 16.81 USD (from 893.74 USD/MT last week to 876.93 USD/MT). At the time of writing, the global bunker indices showed signs of modest growth. The MABUX Global Scrubber Spread (SS) – the price difference between 380 HSFO and VLSFO – continued its gradual decrease to minus $2.84 ($13 ..read more

In the first three weeks of this month, the top 10 carriers made only 25 calls at Jeddah, compared to 88 in the same period last year. These figures apply to only eight of the top 10 carriers in fact as HMM and ZIM were not sending ships to the Saudi Arabian port. The Red Sea conflict has had a far-reaching impact on the way large carriers are serving the Red Sea. Jeddah and King Abdullah used to be served with wayport calls by vessels trading between the US East Coast, North Europe and the Mediterranean on the western side, and the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and the Far East on the ..read more

During Week 16, the MABUX global bunker indices showed mixed dynamics with no a clear trend. The 380 HSFO index rose by 2.83 USD: from 549.31 USD/MT last week to 552.14 USD/MT. The VLSFO index fell by 1.88 USD (694.83 USD/MT versus 696.71 USD/MT last week), consistently staying below the $700 mark. The MGO index decreased by 11.06 USD (from 906.48 USD/MT last week to 895.42 USD/MT), falling below the 900 USD mark. At the time of writing, there are signs of a downward trend in the global bunker market. MABUX Global Scrubber Spread (SS) – the price difference between 380 HSFO and VLSFO – decreas ..read more

The Middle East’s largest container port, Dubai/Jebel Ali, has re-entered the top 10 ranking of global container ports, overtaking Europe’s biggest port & demonstrating the scale of economic slump in Europe. Dubai overtook two of its nearest competitors in 2023 to make the top 10, a position it previously occupied in 2018. As earlier predicted by Alphaliner, it moved ahead of Hong Kong, which posted its 7th year of consecutive volume declines, and has now lost a third of its container traffic over the past decade. It also overtook Rotterdam, which had moved ahead of Dubai in 2019, but lost ..read more

Global ocean freight container shipping has been impacted by numerous geopolitical and environmental incidents in recent times, and the list got longer over the weekend following an escalation in conflict in the Middle East. In the early hours of Saturday, 13 April, Iranian military forces seized the 14,952 TEU containership MSC Aries while en route to India from the Abu Dhabi port of Mina Khalifa. The incident took place near to the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Arabian Gulf, raising concerns over the safety of ocean freight supply chains in the region. While Mina Khalifa is a main hub ..read more

In a significant escalation of tensions in the Middle East, Iran’s capture of the MSC Aries, a container ship linked to Israel, has reverberated throughout the maritime industry. This development, occurring prior to the missile attacks on Saturday, April 13, 2024, underscores the deepening conflict in the region. Believed to be in response to an Israeli raid on the Iranian consulate in Syria, the capture has heightened concerns about the security of key trade routes and the stability of regional hubs like Jebel Ali. Furthermore, Iran has launched a coordinated attack on Saturday, April 13, 202 ..read more