Can global ports keep pace with the containership delivery wave

The biggest boxship delivery cycle in the industry's history is colliding with a port sector already under pressure from congestion, disruption and years of underinvestment. As ever-larger vessels spread across global trade lanes, the challenge is no longer simply accommodating bigger ships, but ensuring terminals, hinterland networks and supply chains can absorb the volumes they deliver, writes Linton Nightingale of Lloyd's List

A record wave of containership deliveries is about to reshape global liner networks. Carriers remain confident that demand can absorb the influx of new tonnage, but a growing debate is emerging on whether ports, terminals and hinterland infrastructure can keep pace with an accelerating vessel upsizing cycle that is spreading far beyond the main east-west trades.