The top 10 liner operators hiked aggregate capacity by 13% in 2000-22 and continue to control 85% of the global fleet.
Spot freight rates are easing, but in a sign of resilience, container-ship charter rates remain near all-time highs.
A flood of newly built container ships will be delivered by shipyards in 2023-25. Can liners maintain pricing power?
The trans-Pacific container trade is vastly different than pre-pandemic, with more ships, more competition, and a new leader: Maersk.
Accusations fly as shipping lines rake in billions, but the numbers imply more carrier competition, not less.
Barring an economic downturn, U.S. demand could still be squeezing ports a year from now.
Demand for container ships is so extreme that some operators are paying unprecedented sums to rent them.
Spot pricing has surged even higher, propelled by carrier rate hikes and China congestion fallout.
Decision to secure dedicated vessel highlights unprecedented strength of container shipping and risks faced by importers.
Consolidation in the liner sector is already extreme. Newbuild orders will further concentrate market power in fewer hands.
