The global container ship fleet has passed a major milestone, with the combined capacity of 6,642 fully cellular vessels now exceeding 33 million TEU, driven by the expansion of MSC and HMM, reported Athens-based Safety4Sea.

MSC's fleet has surpassed 7 million TEU, while HMM has crossed the one million TEU mark. Alphaliner noted that the top 10 carriers together operate more than 4,040 ships with a total capacity of 28.1 million TEU, accounting for 60.9 per cent of the global fleet and 85 per cent of worldwide container shipping capacity.

Idle containerships continue to decline despite softer freight rates and new tonnage entering service. Alphaliner data shows only 87 ships, equal to 273,058 TEU, are currently inactive, representing 0.8 per cent of the fleet.

This marks a reduction from 94 ships, or 298,538 TEU, two weeks earlier when the idle fleet peaked at 0.9 per cent. Analysts say vessel idling is now largely insignificant, with the usual year-end slowdown having little impact on activity.

The latest fall in idle tonnage is mainly due to the return of two postpanamax ships to service, leaving only two vessels idle in that segment. Just one Megamax unit remains inactive, though its status is temporary following yard work for conversion and upgrades.