Container Shipping faces oversupply threat, raising fresh concerns | Container news

The containership orderbook has risen to 11.61m TEU, accounting for 34.8% of the current fleet on the back of a record number of ships ordered in 2025, according to market intelligence firm Linerlytica.

Recent additions from COSCO and Hapag-Lloyd lifted the total number of containerships ordered in 2025 to 633 ships for 5.08m TEU, surpassing the previous record of 4.74m in 2021 and 4.77m in 2024.

In its latest Market Pulse, Linerlytica explains that the carriers’ appetite for new ships goes beyond their fleet renewal needs and raises the spectre of over-supply in the next four years.

Despite the threat of US actions against Chinese shipbuilding, China’s shipyards still secured the bulk of the contracts this year, accounting for 497 units (79%) and 3.66m TEU (72%).

South Korean yards regained some lost ground with its capacity share rising from 11% in 2024 to 27% in 2025 with 1.35m TEU added this year.

Market volatility persists. After failing to secure rate increases earlier in December, carriers are pushing ahead with another series of rate hikes in mid-December with mixed success.

Looking ahead to 2026, the Premier Alliance carriers announced their service network will include two additional Transpacific PSW services and an upgraded Asia-North Europe string starting in April. The alliance will maintain routing via the Cape of Good Hope rather than returning to the Suez Canal route until further notice.

Linerlytica was founded in 2020 to provide data driven market intelligence for the container shipping industry.

Hapag-Lloyd and COSCO Newbuild Orders

Germany’s container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd inked recently a $500m order with Chinese shipyard CIMC Raffles.

The Hamburg-based carrier ordered eight 4,500-TEU container vessels, with deliveries set for 2028 and 2029. The investment volume amounts to more than $500m.

Meanwhile, China COSCO Shipping Corporation finalised a megadeal for 87 new ships that industry players are already calling it “historic.”

Cosco Shipping bolstered its fleet with orders for 87 newbuildings at shipyards under a new cooperation agreement with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).

China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) and COSCO finalised a domestic agreement worth approximately RMB 50 billion, covering 87 new vessels across multiple fleet segments, as the shipping giant COSCO races to modernize its fleet and cement its global position.

The agreement was signed in Shanghai on December 8, 2025. The deal includes the construction of a diverse range of vessel types at shipyards under the umbrella of China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC).

The construction work, which will be undertaken by the company’s subsidiaries, covers various vessel types, including ultra-large container ships, ultra-large bulk carriers, very large crude carriers (VLCC), grain carriers, multi-purpose heavy lift vessels, medium range (MR) tankers, small container ships, and others.