World’s Idled Container Ships Signal Bet on China Recovery

  • Unused vessel capacity near highest level since 2020: Drewry
  • Ship clusters are parked off China’s coast waiting for rebound
The last time there were so many idled vessels was during the first part of 2020, when Covid-19 swept across the world and brought shipping to a halt.Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
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For a sign of how much global trade has slowed, look no further than idled container ships — unused vessel capacity is near the highest level since a spike after the start of the pandemic.

But where those idled ships are clustered gives insight into the industry’s bets for a rebound: a large number are positioned near China, waiting for a renewed flow of exports as the world’s second-largest economy recovers from Covid Zero restrictions.