Recently, new orders for container ships have been significantly tilted towards small-sized feeder vessels, with the main buyers being non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) rather than the top ten global liner companies. Hapag-Lloyd plans to order 22 vessels ranging from 1,800 to 4,500 TEU to replace old capacity and believes that if demand grows by 3% annually, the new capacity can be absorbed by the market. 

Alphaliner data shows that small vessels are mostly used for feeder services between hub ports and nearby ports. Despite this, Evergreen Line and CMA CGM have respectively placed orders for 14 vessels of 14,000 TEU and 10 vessels of 22,000 TEU.

Vietnamese Hai An Shipping, German Bunnemann, Norwegian MPCC and Greek Danaos, Conbulk and other medium and small-sized shipowners have also been actively placing orders, mainly in the 1,800 to 7,100 TEU range, with some adopting the "Sea Lion" series design from the Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute. Hapag-Lloyd may also directly purchase or lease newbuildings from shipowners such as MPCC on a long-term basis. 

The longer voyage due to the detour around the Red Sea has alleviated the pressure of excess capacity. Braemar predicts that the supply surplus will drop from 13% to about 4% by 2025. 

Overall, the growth in orders for feeder vessels reflects a response to regional trade and network optimization strategies. In the future, it is expected to form an efficient transportation pattern of "large vessels on trunk lines and small vessels on feeder lines", supporting the stable operation of the global supply chain.