Top 10 Container Shipping Companies in Maritime Logistics
A slump in global production and export orders led to a modest increase in container traffic in 2019, while the COVID-19 pandemic further impacted global demand in 2020. Ship Technology lists the top 10 shipping lines in 2019 by 20-foot equivalent units (TEU).
A slump in global production and export orders led to a modest increase in container traffic in 2019, while the COVID-19 pandemic further impacted global demand in 2020. Here is a list of the top 10 container shipping companies with the largest container ships 20 voyages (TEU)
Maersk Line Maersk Line
- Number of ships: 708
- Largest ship: Maersk McKinney Miller
- TEU: 22,000
- Market share: 16.9%
AP Moller-Maersk is the world’s largest integrated shipping company with a total capacity of 4.1 million TEU. As of December 2019, the company had a fleet of 708 ships, of which 307 were owned container ships and 401 were chartered container ships.
The Danish company also plans to add 11 401-meter-long container ships with a capacity of 19,630 TEU to its fleet. These new ships will be the largest container ships in Maersk’s fleet. Two 18,500 TEU Triple-E ships and seven Baltic feeder ships will also join Maersk’s fleet.
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The company operates in multiple business areas including shipping, logistics, terminals, trailers, manufacturing, etc. The TradeLens digital container logistics platform directly serves 98 integrated port terminals.
Mediterranean Shipping Company
- Number of ships: 589
- Largest ship: MSC Gülsün
- TEU: 22,000
- Market share: 16.1%
The total capacity of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) container fleet is 3.9 million TEU. The company operates a fleet of 560 cargo ships and transports 21 million TEU per year.
MSC has 493 offices and 70,000 employees in 155 countries, and its fleet serves more than 500 ports worldwide.
The company operates a modern fleet of Gulsan-class ships, a new type of environmentally friendly container ship designed to reduce its environmental impact. The ship’s design provides the lowest carbon footprint: 7.49 grams of CO2 per ton of cargo transported per nautical mile.
CMA CGM
- Number of ships: 557
- Largest ship: CMA CGM Jack H.E
- TEU: 23,000
- Market share: 12.5%
French container shipping company CMA CGM Group operates a fleet of 502 container ships with a total capacity of 3 million TEU.
In September 2020, the company chartered a 23,000 TEU container ship CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, named after its founder Jacques Saade. This is the first of nine ships ordered by the company. Jacques Saada is the world’s largest LNG-powered container ship.
With 110,000 employees in 160 countries, the CMA CGM Group serves 420 commercial ports, covering more than 80% of the world’s ports.
COSCO
- Number of ships: 498
- Largest ship: COSCO SHIPPING Universe
- TEU: 21,000
- Market share: 12.3%
China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), a subsidiary of China’s state-owned shipping giant COSCO Shipping Holdings, operates 498 container ships with a total capacity of about 3 million TEUs.
COSCO’s fleet covers 401 domestic and international routes, calling at 356 ports in 105 countries. The company has 235 corporate offices, including 97 domestic offices and 138 international offices.
COSCO Shipping Holdings has 59 terminal interests worldwide, including 51 container terminals. The container terminals’ annual throughput is about 126.8 million TEUs, making it a leading global port operator.
Hapag-Lloyd
- Number of ships: 256
- Market share: 7.3%
- Largest ship: Balzan
- TEU: 18,800
German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd operates a fleet of 256 ships with a total capacity of approximately 1.7 million TEU. The company accounts for 7% of the global container fleet total capacity market.
In 2019, Hapag-Lloyd ordered 77 container ships with a total transport capacity of approximately 800,000 TEU. The new ships will be able to carry different types of cargo, such as oversized cargo and dangerous goods.
Headquartered in Hamburg, the shipping company has more than 13,000 employees and 392 sales offices in 129 countries.
Ocean Network Express
- Number of vessels: 221
- Largest ship: MOL Triumph
- TEU: 20170
- Market share: 6.6%
Ocean Network Express (ONE) operates a fleet of 221 vessels with a total capacity of 1.6 million TEUs, making it the sixth largest container carrier in the world.
ONE was formed in July 2017 by the merger of Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K-Line), and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK).
Headquartered in Singapore, the company has 8,000 employees worldwide and provides more than 130 services in 120 countries every week.
Evergreen Marine Corp.
- Number of Vessels: 202
- Largest ship: Ever Ace
- TEUs: 24,000
- Market Share: 5.5%
Evergreen Line is a container shipping group that includes Evergreen Marine Corp. (Taiwan), Italia Marittima, Evergreen Marine (UK), Evergreen Marine (Hong Kong) and Evergreen Marine (Singapore).
The companies operate 202 vessels with a combined capacity of 1.3 million 20-foot equivalent units. Evergreen built and chartered 20 F-type vessels with a capacity of 12,000 20-foot equivalent units to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, the company ordered ten 23,000 TEU containerships and four 1,800 TEU containerships.
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With more than 6,700 employees, Evergreen Line serves more than 315 locations in Asia, America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Africa.
HMM Co., Ltd.
- Number of ships: 75
- Largest Ship: HMM Algeciras Class
- TEU: 23964 – 23820
- Market share: 3.1%
HMM’s fleet consists of 75 container ships with a total capacity of 752,000 TEU. It is the largest national container shipping company in South Korea. The company owns three container terminals.
The company operates a modern fleet of 12 24,000 TEU container ships and eight 16,000 TEU container ships equipped with the latest smart ship solutions. The 24,000 TEU ships delivered between April and September 2020 are the largest container ships in the world. The 16,000 20-foot equivalent capacity ships will be put into service in 2021.
HMM is a global transport and logistics company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, with more than 60 routes and more than 100 ports. It is one of the five largest shipping companies operating on the trans-Pacific trade route.
Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation
- Number of ships: 89
- Largest ship: YMguarantee
- TEU: 14,200
- Market share: 2.6%
Taiwanese container shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation (Yang Ming Marine Transport) operates a fleet of 89 ships with a total capacity of 628,000 TEU.
The company began streamlining its fleet by adding 14 chartered ships of 11,000 TEU and 10 new self-built ships of 2,800 TEU in 2020. The new fleet with improved engine performance will enhance the company’s long-term competitiveness.
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Yang Ming provides container and bulk shipping services as well as terminal and logistics services. It also provides scheduled container shipping to Asia, Europe, America and Australia.
Zim Integrated Shipping Services
- Number of vessels: 95
- Largest ship: Cape Sounio
- TEU: 11,000
- Market share: 1.7%
Zim was founded on June 7, 1945 as Zim Palestine Navigation Company Limited. Sponsored by the Jewish Agency, the Israel Maritime Association and the Histadrut (Historical Union of Workers in the Land of Israel). In 1947, the first ship was purchased in partnership with Harris & Dixon (based in London).
The ship was restored, renamed the SS Kedma, and sent to the future State of Israel in the summer of 1947. In 1948, the company name was changed to ZIM Israel Navigation Ltd. In its early years, its main mission was to transport hundreds of thousands of immigrants to developing countries.
Other ships used for illegal immigration before the establishment of the State of Israel were confiscated by the British Mandate and later joined the company’s fleet. The company continued to purchase new ships, including the SS Negba, SS Artza and SS Galilea.
