Key figures:
- Market concentration: The 10 largest carriers account for about 85% of global containership capacity. The five largest account for 65.5%.
- MSC leads by a wide margin: The Swiss carrier operates 1,023 ships with a combined capacity of nearly 7.5 million TEU, equivalent to 21.5% of global capacity. Its lead over second-placed Maersk is close to 2.8 million TEU.
- Record orderbook: Global orders for new containerships exceeded 15 million TEU at the end of October, equivalent to almost 44% of the existing fleet. MSC alone has ordered 182 ships with a combined capacity of 3.38 million TEU.
The latest Alphaliner ranking, published on 10 November 2026, highlights the extent to which the container shipping industry has become concentrated. The 10 largest operators now account for around 85% of the total capacity deployed on scheduled container services.
The concentration is even more pronounced at the top of the table. MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, COSCO and Hapag-Lloyd together account for 65.5% of global containership capacity.
Alphaliner measures the capacity of ships operated by each carrier, including both owned and chartered vessels, in TEU. The ranking therefore reflects fleet capacity, rather than the number of containers transported or each company’s share of shipping revenue.
MSC extends its lead over the world’s largest carriers
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) remains firmly in first place. The Swiss carrier’s fleet has grown beyond 1,000 vessels and now comprises 1,023 containerships with a combined capacity of 7.48 million TEU. That gives MSC a 21.5% share of global capacity.
| Rank | Carrier | Fleet capacity | Ships | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MSC | 7.48 million TEU | 1,023 | 21.5% |
| 2 | Maersk | 4.71 million TEU | 745 | 13.5% |
| 3 | CMA CGM | 4.48 million TEU | 727 | 12.9% |
| 4 | COSCO | 3.70 million TEU | about 570 | 10.7% |
| 5 | Hapag-Lloyd | 2.41 million TEU | about 290 | 6.9% |
Source: Alphaliner, data as of 10 November 2026. Figures rounded.
MSC’s advantage is substantial. Its fleet is approximately 2.77 million TEU larger than Maersk’s, a difference greater than Hapag-Lloyd’s entire capacity as the world’s fifth-largest carrier.
Global containership orderbook tops 15 million TEU
Fleet expansion is accelerating alongside market concentration. At the end of October 2026, the global orderbook for new containerships stood at approximately 15.12 million TEU. That is equivalent to almost 44% of the capacity of the existing global container fleet.
The vessels currently on order will be delivered over the coming years, so their capacity is not yet included in the fleet figures for vessels in operation.
MSC has the largest orderbook. The Swiss carrier has contracted 182 containerships with a combined capacity of approximately 3.38 million TEU. That is equivalent to 45.1% of its current fleet capacity.
COSCO, Maersk and CMA CGM also have substantial orderbooks. According to Alphaliner, COSCO’s orderbook totals about 1.87 million TEU, compared with 1.80 million TEU for Maersk and 1.68 million TEU for CMA CGM.
Chinese shipyards are building a large share of the new vessels. Industry data cited by Italian publication TrasportoEuropa indicates that China accounts for approximately 81% of the global containership orderbook.
New ships could add pressure to the market
The growing orderbook means that a substantial number of new vessels will enter service in the coming years.
Drewry forecasts that global container fleet capacity will increase by 8.8% in 2027, 12.1% in 2028 and 10% in 2029. The estimates take into account the expected scrapping of older vessels and potential delays in new-ship deliveries. Such a rapid increase in capacity could challenge carriers, particularly if container trade does not expand at a similar pace.
Route changes will also affect the amount of cargo space available. If more containerships return to the shorter route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, effective capacity could rise because the same services would require fewer vessels than voyages rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope.
With supply increasing, carriers have several ways to bring capacity back into line with demand. They can cancel selected sailings, reduce vessel speeds through slow steaming, reallocate ships between routes or accelerate the retirement of older vessels.
What does this mean for freight forwarders and shippers?
Companies that rely on ocean freight will be watching two parallel developments: greater concentration among carriers and a growing supply of container space.
A greater share of capacity in the hands of the largest carriers means that decisions made by a relatively small group of operators will have an increasing impact on service availability, sailing frequency and the space offered on individual trade lanes.
This does not automatically mean higher freight rates, nor does it mean that the largest carriers can impose whatever terms they choose. Competition for cargo remains, while conditions on each route also depend on demand, operating costs and the availability of ships.
A larger supply of cargo space could put downward pressure on rates if vessel capacity grows faster than demand for transport.
Carriers can nevertheless manage excess capacity by cancelling selected sailings, reducing speeds, reallocating ships across trade lanes or removing older vessels from service. For freight forwarders and shippers, the key issue will therefore not be the number of new containerships alone, but how the largest operators manage their fleets. The balance between demand, supply and carrier decisions will largely determine space availability, sailing frequency and freight rates in the years ahead.
