According to Alphaliner the number of boxships scrapped in 2025 was the lowest in the last twenty years. It points out that only 12 vessels were decommissioned last year, with a total capacity of 8,172 TEUs.
It is even worse than 2024, when 95,607 TEUs were scrapped.
Shipowners’ reluctance to dispose of their oldest vessels is understandable if we consider the market context. Throughout 2025 it was characterized by a high demand for tonnage and very robust freight rates. The latter would have prompted shipping companies to keep all available capacity intact to make the most of the favourable scenario.
The vessels demolished last year were small in size: 10 of the 12 decommissioned ships had a capacity of less than 1,000 TEUs. The largest to be decommissioned was the Horizon Enterprise, with a 2,407 TEU capacity. The smallest was the ZI YU Lan, with a 286 TEU capacity.
Their average age was over 30 years old. The oldest had been in service for 45 years.
Translation by Giles Foster
