2.4 million TEUs of capacity deferred

2.4 million TEUs of capacity deferred    More than 300 ordered containerships, accounting for 2.4 million TEUs worth of capacity, have seen their delivery dates deferred or delayed since October 2008, according to the maritime news service Alphaliner.
   In its weekly report on the industry, Alphaliner unveiled the staggering totals, with 321 ships bigger than 1,700 TEUs deferred for six to 24 months by carriers. Nearly 1.5 million of that capacity is now due to be delivered over an 18-month period starting from June 2010.
   Unless a significant chunk of those deliveries can be delayed further, or huge amounts of capacity can be scrapped, overcapacity will continue to create an environment that challenges carriers.
   For comparison, the idle container fleet has hit 1.5 million TEUs, Alphaliner reported. That's approaching 12 percent of the global fleet, a record high. That the idled fleet is rising during December is unsurprising, given that carriers are rationalizing services during the traditionally weak winter months. Alphaliner projects the idle fleet will keep rising until March.