Changes Coming

 Shipping industry experts (and I am  not one) have been predicting big changes in container shipping in 2023 for a number of reasons. 

The increasing costs of goods due to inflation coupled with rising interest rates introduced to fight inflation, have reduced demand and thus there is less cargo for container ships to carry. However the shipping industry, during the recent boom times for container operators, ordered scores of new ships for delivery in 2023 and 2024.

There is thus a growing surplus capacity, and shipowners are faced with having to winnow out their fleets, disposing of the ships that are the costliest to operate. Those costs may be related to fuel efficiency, crew size, or the maintenance requirements for older ships. 

Redeploying or laying up ships will not solve the problem entirely, and so older ships will be heading to the scrap yards in increasing numbers. The world's environmental and safety watchdogs have had some success in forcing third world ship scrap yards to clean up their acts and the EU has introduced strict regulations for disposal of EU owned ships. The term "recycling" has become a common synonym for "scrapping" (but ship scrappers have always been recyclers).

So expect to see some familiar ships disappearing from their customary routes.

One of the frist to go that I have heard of is the MSC Veronique a familiar ship in Halifax from time to time and under different names.

 The ship was built in 1989 by Odense Staalskibs, in Odense, Denmark. At the time, the shipyard was owned by AP Moller-Maersk (it has since been closed) and the ship was named Mette Maersk. A 52,191 gt, 60,900 dwt ship, it had a capacity of 4437 TEU including 500 reefers. Maersk operated its own transatlantic container line and it was an on and off regular in Halifax. (In the above 1997 photo it was carrying a rubber tired gantry on its after deck for delivery to a US port.)

Over time the ship was sold to investors and chartered back. Renamed Maersk Merritt in 2006, then MSC Sweden in 2007, and back to Maersk Merritt in 2010. It became MSC Veronique in 2011.

Under the latter name it operated on MSC's St.Lawrence River service and was occasionally diverted to Halifax, particularly during 2021 when the Port of Montreal was shut down by labour disputes.

This week it was announced that the ship had been sold for "green recycling" but no location was given.  It has recently been operating in the middle east and was reported departing Mundra March 23 and arriving in Abu Dhabi March 26, then sailing for Saudi ports. One of the conforming scrap yards in India or Pakistan seem the most likely destination. In any event it is certain that the ship will not be seen in Halifax again.

 

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