Top 10: The largest container lines in terms of owned carrying capacity

After checking the respective list of chartered carrying capacity, it's time to take a look at the TEU capacity each container carrier owns.

The following list is based on Alphaliner's data at the end of December 2022

1. A.P. Moller - Maersk - 2,535,600 TEUs (60% share of the overall fleet capacity)

A.P. Moller-Maersk is a container shipping firm headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark that transports around 20% of the world's food, commodities, and trade across 130 countries. The Danish maritime corporation owns over 900 enterprises, including APM Terminals, Hamburg Süd, Damco, Svitzer, and Seago Line.

2. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)  - 2,086,500 TEUs (45% share)

The Swiss/Italian ocean company, the world’s top box shipping line, maintains a total fleet of 730 ships and transports roughly 23 million TEUs yearly. MSC's global service network links 150 countries with more than 260 trade channels.

3. CMA CGM - 1,587,000 TEUs (47% share)

CMA CGM has been in business for 40 years and is the world's third-largest container carrier in terms of owned vessel TEU capacity and second in terms of chartered capacity.

4. COSCO Shipping Lines - 1,568,800 TEUs (55% share)

The Chinese shipping giant has a total fleet of over 480 ships and a service network that calls on more than 570 ports, as well as over 400 trade routes that connect around 140 countries.

5. Hapag Lloyd AG - 1,111,400 TEUs (62% share)Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world's major ocean carriers for transatlantic, Middle East, Latin American, and intra-American trade, with over 250 ships, 12 million TEUs yearly, and over 14,500 employees spread throughout 400 offices in 137 regions.

6. Evergreen Marine Corporation - 927,700 TEUs (57% share)

Evergreen has established its position in maritime history since its foundation on 1 September 1968 by Dr. Yung-Fa Chang. It has not only survived, but prospered, on hard work and dedication since those early days, and now has a fleet of over 160 container vessels.

7. ONE - 787,600 TEUs (52% share)

ONE is headquartered in Singapore and is a member of THE Alliance, together with Hapag-Lloyd, HMM and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation.

8. HMM - 555,900 TEUs (68% share)

HMM is a major worldwide carrier with 26 subsidiaries, six regional headquarters, eight terminals, 60 branch offices and a total fleet capacity of 820,000 TEUs.

9. Wan Hai - 345,100 TEUs (79% share)

Wan Hai Lines began in 1965 primarily as a log transportation company operating in Taiwan, Japan, and Southeast Asia. In 1976, in response to the rapid development of international trade in the Asia Pacific and other international trends, Wan Hai transformed itself into a full-container vessel shipping company.

10. Yang Ming - 216,300 TEUs (31% share)Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation was founded on 28 December 1972. Yang Ming reported a fleet of 94 ships with an operational capacity of 715,000 TEUs in December 2022, of which container ships are the main force.

Source: container-news.com

Writer: Ioana Kontos