Would you like another ship, or two? MSC is taking advantage of falling prices on the second-hand market. German shipowners, on the other hand, are selling tonnage.
MSC has collected no fewer than 326 ships on the second-hand market since summer 2020. Apparently, the fleet of the undisputed No. 1 in international container shipping is not yet large enough to continue on its own from 2025 without its previous partner Maersk. So tonnage is still being added … [ds_preview]
As is often the case, the latest new acquisitions come from Germany. These include the sub-Panamax freighter “Polonia” (3,091 TEU, built in 2003), which was previously managed by Peter Döhle. The Aponte company is still paying 15 million dollars for the ship, which is already 20 years old. The ship belongs to the popular “B-178” series, of which 23 units were built at Stocznia Szczecin in Poland between 2001 and 2011.
MSC explores second-hand market
The shipping company Oltmann (Stade) is apparently parting with a sister ship. The “Independent Quest” belongs to the same series as the “Polonia” and was commissioned in 2005 as the “JPO Leo”. She is currently under charter with CMA CGM in the Atlantic. Neither the buyer nor the price have been disclosed.
Brokers have identified MSC as the buyer for the much smaller “Mauren”. Built in China in 2005, the feeder with on-board equipment has a capacity of 1,118 TEU. A price is not yet known. VesselsValue currently values the freighter last used by CNC Lines at 7.6 million dollars.
Finally, MPC Container Ships is also disposing of another ship. The “AS Carlotta” is going to One, the alliance partner of Hapag-Lloyd. The ship, built in Germany in 2006 with a capacity of 2,741 TEU and three on-board cranes, each with a lifting capacity of 45 tons, is valued at USD 10.7 million. The Oslo-listed stock market vehicle of the Hamburg-based MPC Group had recently disposed of a number of older ships, but recently also purchased five more modern units.
Despite the uncertainties on the market, brokers believe that there is continued interest in smaller ships under 3,000 TEU in particular.
