Container ship charter markets have entered the year on a strong footing with rates firming across the board.

Long-term charters remain the order of the day and a dearth of vessels coming open in 2022 is forcing lines to fix several months ahead of delivery in order to secure tonnage.

Liner operators Zim, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk have been busy locking into a number of high-paying, longer-term periods.