Worried about chartering a container ship into the Red Sea? No problem, just fix a Chinese ship.

That appears to be the preference of a handful of Middle East liner operators that continue to trade into the region.

SeaLead, led by interim managing director SC Chan, is one of the most active charterers of vessels into the Middle East. Photo: SeaLead

It is a strategy that is helping to lift the boxship charter market to its highest level in at least nine months.