Maersk Line is stoking a rally in demand for traditional panamax boxships.

The top liner operator has fixed or extended 22 vessels in the 4,000-teu to 5,299-teu range since the second half of October and is working on more charter deals, according to Alphaliner.

The analyst describes the “unprecedented fixing spree” as giving a much needed boost to the classic panamax segment, with the availability of spot ships drastically falling from 27 vessels to only 11 ships, it says.