Liner and recycling sector observers have been talking for months about an impeding mass scrapping of container ships as operators right-size their fleets to fit a downsized freight market.

So why is this clear-out still not happening?

Sales of container ships for recycling are happening, but apart from one mass sale of 10 ships by Taiwanese owner Wan Hai Lines in January, the pace has been a mere trickle with at most one or two ships sold for recycling each week since the beginning of 2023.