Speaking on Bloomberg Intelligence's Talking Transports podcast, co-Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer Mr. Moritz Fuhrmann discussed MPC Container Ships’ (Oslo Børs: MPCC) current positioning. Mr. Fuhrmann shared his views on how he expects charter rates to retreat over the next two years but at the same time sees tighter vessel supply in the feeder segment that should leave it better positioned than the broader container market. Unlike larger container vessels, feeder ships face a much smaller orderbook and an ageing fleet that will eventually require replacement. “I think we might see a normalization in the next 18 to 24 months,” he commented, especially considering that geopolitical tensions should ease eventually. “From a mid- to long-term perspective, the feeder market should perform very solidly.” To listen to the full discussion, you may visit the following links: Apple: https://bit.ly/4fK134a Spotify: https://bit.ly/4yy86EC iHeart: https://bit.ly/4wZVBA9 Bloomberg.com: https://bit.ly/4b6dIMe Bloomberg Terminal: https://bit.ly/4puwmTQ Outlook Resting on Supply MPCC, the largest owner of feeder and mid-sized container vessels, leases ships of up to 7,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) to liner operators including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and COSCO. About 90% of its $2.2 billion to $2.3 billion contracted revenue backlog comes from the world's ten largest container lines, with charter periods now stretching two to three years, compared with six to twelve months before the pandemic. Demand for these regional trades has grown faster than traditional east-west routes over the past decade as manufacturers diversify production beyond China. Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia have become important exporters, and some Chinese manufacturers have also shifted production to Southeast Asia to mitigate the impact of tariffs and geopolitical tensions. These developments have increased demand for feeder services connecting regional ports. According to Mr. Fuhrmann, the company's outlook will rest on supply. While the global container ship orderbook remains historically high, newbuilding activity is concentrated in vessels above 10,000 TEU, leaving the feeder segment with a comparatively modest pipeline. Around 15% of the existing fleet is on order, and more than one-fifth of it is already over 20 years old. As long as freight markets remain strong, owners have little incentive to recycle older ships. But once rates ease, Mr. Fuhrmann expects scrapping activity to accelerate, limiting future fleet growth.