Charter rates for box ships have fallen completely out of sync as owners in the most hard-pressed segments scramble to secure any short-term cover they can get. More evidence emerged last week of post-Panamax and Panamax tramp vessels fixing charters at sub-opex levels at USD6,000-8,000/day - less than what feeder and Handy container ship types can still achieve in various regions. The largest classes are suffering the worst overhang of tonnage looking for employment. French analyst Alphaliner counted 36 over-Panamax ships of 5,300-7,500 teu and 27 Panamaxes of 4,000-5,100 teu in spot positions at the start of last week, most of them in Asia. New charter rate lows for very large container ships were marked by the reported fixture of the 8,411 teu Northern Jubilee at just USD 8,000/day for 2-3 months Far East-West Coast South America trading, and by Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk's hiring of the 7,000 teu Northern Monument at USD7,500/day for 50-100 days for its Far East-Mediterranean service.
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