MSC achieves carrier market share record as Maersk announces fleet renewal plan

Writing on its social media platforms, Alphaliner stated that courtesy of the addition of around 400,000 teu to its fleet so far this year, MSC’s share of the operated fleet reached 19.8% at the end of last month – the highest ever percentage any carrier has managed.

The analytics company added that the only time any shipping line had ever come close to this was back in 2018, when Maersk reached a market share peak of 19.4%. Since then, the Danish shipping giant has seen its market share decline over time.

Alphaliner also notes how other shipping lines have managed to increase their market share over the last year. These include ZIM, now on 2.4%, ONE (Ocean Network Express) on 6.4% and Hapag-Lloyd on 7.2%.

The update from Alphaliner, published yesterday, coincided with an announcement from Maersk in which the shipping line said it was in the process of signing newbuilding orders and time-charter contracts for dual-fuel vessels – matching its planned renewal pace of around 160,000 TEU per year.

Maersk says that all these vessels will utilise a mix of methanol and liquified gas dual-fuel propulsion systems with the intent to operate them on low emissions fuel. The company adds that once the vessels have been delivered, around 25% of the Maersk fleet will be equipped with dual-fuel engines.

Commenting on the announcement, Ahmed Hassan, Head of Asset Strategy & Strategic Partnerships at Maersk, nonetheless explained that the vessels will not increase the shipping line’s overall capacity:

“These orders will not add to the overall capacity and over time every vessel coming in will be replacing a scrapped vessel having reached end of life, ensuring that we maintain our fleet size at around 4.3 million TEU. By diversifying our fleet and fuel options, we gain the flexibility, knowledge, and experience to cater to a future with multiple fuel paths. We thank our partners for working with us to move the industry further towards enabling a future with decarbonised ocean transport.”

Rabab Boulos, Chief Operating Officer at Maersk, added:

“Our fleet renewal program is fundamental to maintaining competitive edge in our ocean business, and it is a cornerstone in decarbonising our operations. As the shipyard orderbooks have been filling up quickly and lead time for vessel deliveries have increased significantly, we decided to place orders and charter contracts of 800,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent) dual-fuel vessels, which ensures a steady flow of needed capacity for our network for the years 2026-2030 while building a competitive toolkit.”