Alphaliner forecasts record boxship scrapping

   Alphaliner is forecasting a record year for scrapping containerships.
   In its latest newsletter, Alphaliner said vessels with a total capacity of 450,000 TEUs are expected to go to the breakers in 2013, surpassing a record of 381,000 TEUs in 2009.
   “In the first four months of this year, 93 units for 195,000 TEUs have already been sold for demolition or de-celled (so they can be used for other purposes), with the average age of scrapped ships falling to a low of 22 years compared to between 25 and 30 years historically,” it said.
   Alphaliner added that “the rise in the capacity scrapped is mainly due to the surge in the deletion of 3,000- to 5,000-TEU ships. 30 units of this size have been sold for scrap so far this year, including the 4,714-TEU Maersk Malacca (built 1990) which is the largest containership ever to be scrapped, in TEU terms.”
   It expects other ships of that size, including the Maersk Merlion and four of the five C-10 ships owned by APL to be scrapped. – Chris Dupin