by Paillette Palaiologou, Vice President Hellenic, Black Sea and Adriatic, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains in many ways. One of the most striking consequences has been the large number of containers sitting on land, waiting to be transported to their final destinations.

The industry has been keen to explore new means to resolve this major backlog, including transporting 'boxes' onboard vessels other than container ships.

It is creating an attractive opportunity for bulk carrier operators, as the conversion required to allow for the carriage of containers is relatively quick and easy to achieve once safety issues have been addressed. Operators of small- or medium-sized bulk carriers are most likely to consider catching the wave.

While it is expected to offer attractive rates for a few years to come, most see it as a sideline to their core business rather than a permanent change. As such, bulk carriers will typically carry containers on ballast runs instead of being dedicated to the new trade.

Download PDF