Orderbook Vs. Shipping Rates
The orderbook as a percentage of total fleet peaked in 2008 at 50%. Today, the orderbook to fleet level is at 20%, so there are not a lot of ships being built. Even if they are being built, it takes around 2 years to build one. History shows that when the orderbook to fleet ratio is low, the baltic dry index spikes. This is because shipping rates rise due to a constraint in supply of ships. Once the orderbook to fleet ratio rises again to a certain level, the baltic dry index will start to go down again. For more info on container shipping, go here .