German multi-purpose (MPP) ship operator BBC Chartering is seeing strong demand from freight forwarders, amid tight container shipping capacity.
BBC Chartering’s Global Head of Marketing & Public Relations, Marko Stampehl told Container News that the company currently operates a fleet of more than 140 multipurpose heavy-lift vessels, all of them also capable of carrying containers.
Nominal container capacity in BBC Chartering’s fleet typically ranges between 450 and 1,600TEU.
Stampehl said, “We haven’t chartered out our vessels. Instead, we have accepted a number of bookings of containers (all shippers’ own) from freight forwarders (not from container carriers), in some cases, in fact, occupying entire vessels. Typically, they are interested in our larger MPP vessels with a container intake between 1,000 and 1,600TEU.
Stampehl admitted that while the prolonged downturn in the MPP sector had discouraged MPP ship owners from ordering newbuildings, things are now looking up.
He said, “It’s however, not only the surge in container demand which has helped our sector, as at the same time, demand for capacity in the project sector has also surged, as does the demand for capacity to carry renewable energy components (mainly wind turbine components such as blades, towers and nacelles). So it is to a large extent, the combination of increased demand both from our original market and the container sector, which has driven the increase in freight and charter rates.”
While container shipping has brought another revenue stream, BBC Chartering will not stray from its MPP roots.
Stampehl said, “Project cargoes, breakbulk and heavy-lift goods are our bread-and-butter business, which remains in our focus. That said, we’re of course trying to help forwarders with their container carrying demand, which we expect to remain on similar levels through 2022.”
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
