- US Tariff Uncertainty Weighs on Industry Outlook.
- Global Fleet Grows to 6,766 Ships, 30.8 Million TEU.
- 2024 Sees 26.7% Surge in New Vessel Deliveries.
As we step into 2025, the container shipping industry is treading carefully. While 2024 managed to stay relatively profitable despite a host of challenges, experts are predicting a significant drop in revenue this year. A major worry is the uncertainty around U.S. trade policies, particularly the steep increase in tariffs that could stifle global trade, reports ISL.
Fleet Expansion Continues
At the beginning of 2025, the global container fleet boasted 6,766 ships, amounting to 363.4 million deadweight tons (dwt) and 30.8 million TEU. This represents a fleet growth of 10.8%.
Surge in Vessel Deliveries During 2024
In 2024, a total of 473 new vessels were delivered, adding 2.9 million TEU in capacity—a remarkable 26.7% increase compared to the previous year. Almost 45% of these new ships were large units, each exceeding 14,000 TEU. The swift expansion of the fleet is also reflected in the growing number of laid-up vessels, especially among feeder ships.
New Orders Accelerate in Early 2025
In the first quarter of 2025, shipowners placed orders for 80 new container ships with a combined capacity of nearly 1 million TEU—four times the amount ordered during the same period in 2024, according to CRSL data.
Global Container Traffic Rebounds in 2024
Data from ISL’s Port Database indicates that global container throughput bounced back by 7% in 2024 after stagnating between 2022 and 2023. The total volume reached around 793 million TEU, marking an increase of 51 million TEU year-over-year.
Regional Trends Reveal Mixed Performance
Regional trends showed a mixed bag. U.S. container throughput saw a significant rebound, hitting 58 million TEU in 2024—just shy of the 2022 record of 60.1 million TEU—following a sharp decline in 2023.
Stable Trade Performance in Early 2025
According to the RWI/ISL Container Throughput Index, global trade has remained stable in early 2025. The index climbed to 138.3 points in May, indicating steady growth in container volumes. European ports, in particular, experienced strong increases in throughput, likely due to the rerouting of Chinese exports.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free Click here to Subscribe!
Source: ISL
