News
Despite increasing trade policy uncertainty and falling freight rates, the containership orderbook has continued to expand, totaling more than 1,350 ships with a combined capacity of 11.8 million TEUs, according to the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO).
In 2025, global average container freight rates fell an estimated 13% year-on-year while U.S. import tariff increases raised concerns about increasing trade protectionism. Despite this, global container volumes grew 4.7% year on year, and shipowners ordered a record high 4.8 million TEUs of new ship capacity.
In the first two months of 2026, shipowners ordered 102 ships with a combined capacity of 665,000 TEUs, bringing the total order book to 11.8 million TEUs at the end of February, an increase of 28% year on year.
“The very largest ships dominating the order book point to a development where larger ships will replace smaller ones throughout the global network of services,” says Niels Rasmussen, chief shipping analyst at BIMCO. “Four hundred thirty-six ships with capacity of 12,000 TEUs or more are on order and make up 65% of the TEU on order.”
