New containership capacity reached a record 285k TEU in June,according to Alphaliner data cited by Seatrade Maritime. The record delivery figures come on the back of the fulfillment of newbuildings ordered during the container shipping boom in 2021-2022. The 285k TEU does, however, fall short of the 400k TEU forecasted by analyst Alphaliner. This could be attributed to labor shortages in Asian shipyards and delayed deliveries as a result of a sluggish market, the news outlet writes. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) represented 111.5k TEU, accounting for almost a third of June’s newbuild deliveries. The record volume of deliveries is expected to continue in the coming months with some 7.6 mn TEU on the orderbook.
Airbus is doubling down on trials of new technology to develop more advanced and efficient wings for its future aircraft models that would succeed its A320 series, Reutersreports, citing company officials. The company inaugurated this week a wing technology plant in England to design longer, lighter, more slender, and more sustainable wings with folding wingtips as part of an investment program estimated to be in the “high hundreds” of USD mns, according to industry sources.
The main challenge lies in reducing the production costs of composite materials required for the new wing designs, with the company currently exploring partnerships with suppliers to lower costs and improve production efficiency. The new technology could also potentially be used to upgrade existing models. This comes as Boeing has begun researching a longer ultra-light concept dubbed Transonic Truss-Braced Wings.