THE tonnage provider share of the global containership fleet is continuing to fall as container line operators snap up more secondhand boxships from non-operating owners.

According to Alphaliner, some 3.7m teu of tonnage provider-controlled capacity, provided by 850 ships, were sold to carriers since August 2020. 

This was offset by 1.2m teu of newbuilding capacity delivered to non-operating owners between August 2020 and March 2025.

A further 221,000 teu of capacity was purchased by tonnage providers from end users in the same period. Combined, this provided a net overall loss of the chartered boxship fleet of 400 vessels of a combined 2.3m teu.

Until 2021, chartered containerships typically made up around 50% of global containership fleet capacity. However, this had dropped to 40% by mid-2024.

Alphaliner noted that the vessel fleet strategies of two container line operators in particular were responsible for the decline in the charter fleet.

“While several carriers embarked on secondhand tonnage acquisitions during the post-covid cargo boom Mediterranean Shipping Co, and to a lesser extent CMA CGM, were by far the most active buyers with ambitious purchase programmes largely contributing to the decline of the non-operating owned fleet,” it said.

MSC, the world’s largest boxship operator, alone bought 350 ships comprising 1.4m teu from tonnage providers in the August 2020-March 2025 period, according to Alphaliner data.

CMA CGM bought 131 boxships of a combined 578,000 teu from non-operating owners.

“Together the carriers removed close to 2m teu of non-operating owned capacity from the charter market,” said Alphaliner.

In addition to the post-pandemic boom in container freight markets, relatively cheap asset prices and a desire to exert greater control of their fleets were the main drivers in the carriers’ blitz on charter market tonnage.

Alphaliner said that the continued decline in the containership charter fleet would be slowed by more newbuilding orders by tonnage providers.

It noted that Marinakis-backed tonnage provider Capital Ship Management was expected to firm up orders soon for eight vessels of 2,800 teu newbuildings from South Korea’s HD Hyundai Mipo. Further newbuilding projects in this size segment are thought be in the pipeline.

Capital is also said to be lining up orders for at least six 1,800 teu ships while fellow Greek non-operating owner Chartworld is understood be discussing up to eight 4,300 teu newbuildings.

Other tonnage providers were believed to be in talks with Asian shipyards for similar vessels, noted Alphaliner.

Some of the orders are thought to be backed by charter agreements from major carriers.

“This is a positive trend since tonnage providers need the support of their liner clients to accelerate the replenishment and renewal of an ageing and shrinking charter market fleet that remains essential for the container shipping industry,” said Alphaliner.