Norwegian car carrier operator Wallenius Wilhelmsen is set to reactivate the last three of its vessels that were placed in cold layup last year due to a slow down in the car carrier market, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reactivation will take place during the third quarter, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen says the intention is that the three vessels will replace capacity sourced through short-term charters.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen had already made the decision to reactivate 12 of the 15 vessels placed in layup last year, with nine already back in service and three due to start sailing during the second quarter.
“As previously stated, we expect the overall industry supply-demand balance to improve in the mid-term. Given the time required to reactivate vessels, we believe that the time is right to reactivate the remaining vessels that have been laid up due to the pandemic. Predicting the potential market impact of the ongoing pandemic remains a challenge, however we have the flexibility in our operations to adjust the fleet for any changing market conditions,” said Torbjørn Wist, acting CEO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen.
