MSC is about to reach a historic milestone. The Swiss-Italian shipping company is approaching the 1,000 container ships mark, cementing its position as the world's largest container shipping company. MSC's growth underlines how fast global container shipping continues to develop.
According to ship data analyst Alphaliner, MSC currently has 992 container ships, with a total capacity of 7.26 million teu. Less than two months ago, the tally stood at 979 ships. The increase shows how aggressively the shipping company continues to expand.
MSC's rise began several years ago. In 2022, the shipping company managed to knock rival Maersk off its throne as the world's largest container shipping company. At the time, its fleet consisted of 645 ships, meaning its growth since then has been impressive.
Today, MSC has a market share of over 21 per cent of global container capacity. This gives the shipping company a firm grip on the market and continues to build on its lead.
Meanwhile, the global container fleet is also growing fast. There are now more than 6,700 container ships sailing around, accounting for a capacity of 33.6 million teu. Including other ship types, the total fleet even exceeds 7,500 ships.
Global container capacity only broke the 30 million teu mark for the first time in 2024 and is already growing towards 34 million teu.
MSC's growth is not stopping for now. The shipping company still has 127 new container ships on order, good for an additional capacity of 2.16 million teu. With this, MSC continues to strengthen its position as market leader.
Competitors are not sitting still either. CMA CGM has even more ships on order, while Cosco and Maersk are also expanding their fleets. Still, MSC manages to distinguish itself by the scale and speed of its investments.
A key reason for this growth is that scrapping older ships is currently less common. With longer shipping routes, such as via the Cape of Good Hope, additional capacity remains necessary to keep global trade going.
MSC's growth is in line with increasing demand on key trade routes, such as between Asia and Europe. In March, a record capacity of 530,000 teu was deployed on this route, the second record in two months.
This development shows that demand for container transport remains high despite geopolitical tensions. Shipping companies are responding by expanding their fleets and optimising new routes.
For companies in logistics, this means that while capacity does not seem to be a limiting factor for the time being, flexibility and route choice are becoming increasingly important. Read more about international transport flows on the sea freight page.
The coming months will reveal when MSC actually passes the 1,000 container ships mark. One thing is certain: the shipping company remains a determining factor in global container logistics.