Greece has now eclipsed Germany as the leading nation in terms of owning chartered container ships," reports TradeWindsNews.com
Further shifts are anticipated, with Canada, Greece, the UK, China, and Japan-based owners of container ships having larger order books for chartered vessels compared to their German counterparts, as reported by Clarksons Research.
This transition comes amidst a reduction in the proportion of the total container ship capacity held by chartered vessels, declining from almost half a decade ago to approximately 40% today.
During this period, the portion of chartered ships owned by German entities has dwindled to 17%, representing 1.9 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units). This decline is starkly contrasted with the pre-financial crisis era when German KG (limited partnership) schemes fueled substantial investments in container ships, resulting in nearly 70% ownership.
The ascent of Greek shipowners has been notable, driven by consistent growth throughout the 2010s, notably spearheaded by Costamare and Danaos, which witnessed a doubling of their fleets between 2010 and 2017.
The decline in the charter market fleet's share, from 47% to 40% of the total fleet, has been primarily influenced by liner operators placing newbuilding orders directly.'
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