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Furthermore, carriers prefer smaller, more frequent calls to serve American markets, avoiding the inefficient sit-and-wait scenario of massive vessels. The Congressional Jones Act further complicates direct U.S. port operations, as ships must be built domestically to operate there, adding cost and complexity.
The Future of Shipping Capacity and Fleet Composition
Data from industry analyses reveal a sharp increase in vessel sizes and total capacity from 2015 to 2025. The number of ships over 18,000 TEUs has increased from a small fraction to nearly half the fleet in some reports. Capacity has grown from roughly 3 million TEUs in 2015 to close to 5 million now, with larger vessels dominating the scene.
Deployment patterns show that: