Suspended services to drive up idle fleet

Suspended services to drive up idle fleet    The effects of suspended services by the CKYH Alliance and CMA CGM, Maersk Line and Hyundai Merchant Marine will be felt through increased layups over the next two months, maritime news service Alphaliner said Monday.
   The CKYH Alliance will pull 20 percent of its capacity on the Far East/Asia trade beginning in October, a move that will idle 18 vessels of 5,000 TEUs or larger. Meanwhile, when the CMA CGM-Maersk-Hyundai Hudson loop between the Far East and U.S. East Coast via the Panama Canal is temporarily suspended in at the end of September, that will release eight more 5,000-TEU ships.
   It will be difficult to find employment for these ships during the period, as demand will likely remain weak until early next year, Alphaliner said.
   Indeed, carriers will likely scale back services in the coming weeks as the relatively strong but short 'peak season' comes to a close. The idle fleet stood at 1.28 million TEUs as of Monday, or 9.9 percent of global containership capacity.