Esgian’s latest report on the global ro-ro shipping market shows a softening environment and changing sentiment.
In its July 2025 ro-ro market report, sector analyst Esgian said that time-charter rates, which peaked at over USD 120,000/day for large PCTCs in late 2023, averaged around USD50,000 per day in May 2025. Esgian said the market continues to soften but at a much slower pace, likely due to a combination of easing capacity constraints and stabilising demand following peak periods.
In terms of net trading days and ceu capacity, significant growth was recorded in 2024 and this has continued into 2025, supported by the addition of over 40 new vessels and fewer supply chain disruptions.
As of July 2025, net available trading days (excluding port waiting time) have increased by 17.4 percent since July 2023, while net available ceu capacity has risen by 13.4 percent. Although some vessels are still experiencing longer stays in port, the overall trend points toward a more capable and active fleet, said Esgian.
A closer look at the monthly data shows how this expansion took shape. The active fleet grew from 717 vessels in July 2023 to 805 in July 2025, lifting monthly ceu capacity by almost 20 percent. Port-waiting time in July 2025 totalled 1,067 days down from 1,158 days (5.4 percent) two years earlier. Esgian said that reduction freed up an extra 736 trading days on top of the gains delivered by new tonnage. In effect, operators added both “more ships” and “more days per ship,” giving the market its largest pool of deployable capacity since the pandemic.
