If a South Korean court makes good on its threat to carry out a sweeping cancellation of Hanjin Shipping’s charters, containership owners could face significant rate cuts as the impacted vessels enter the spot market.

Plus, the vessels may face a period of off-hire time after the cancellation, particularly those smaller than post-panamax ships, said Mark Suarez, a senior transportation advisor at McQ Holdings, an investment banking affiliate of shipbroker McQuilling Partners.

Suarez