MSC fleet capacity surpasses 7 million TEU globally

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Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has surpassed 7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in total fleet capacity, expanding its lead over other major global container carriers.

According to data from Alphaliner, the delivery of two 16,000 TEU vessels, the MSC Salerno from Dalian Shipbuilding International Corp (DSIC) and the MSC Grace from Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, pushed the company past the 7 million TEU mark.

© MSC

MSC reached this milestone just 15 months after crossing the 6 million TEU threshold, having added 799,000 TEU from 68 newly built ships during that time. The carrier also expanded through 25 chartered or secondhand vessels with a combined capacity of 135,000 TEU, while retiring only nine smaller vessels ranging between 900 and 3,300 TEU.

With a total capacity of 7 million TEU, MSC’s fleet now exceeds the combined capacity of its two closest competitors: Maersk, with 4.59 million TEU, and Hapag-Lloyd, with 2.41 million TEU. The company currently holds about 21% of the global container ship fleet by capacity.

MSC continues to expand, with 125 new vessels under construction totaling 2.17 million TEU. If completed, this would bring its total capacity close to 9 million TEU. However, many of the secondhand vessels acquired in recent years are older and may be scheduled for recycling in the coming years, especially if market overcapacity increases and freight rates weaken.

Globally, the container ship orderbook has reached record levels, exceeding 10 million TEU, which represents over 30% of the existing fleet. While diversions around the Cape of Good Hope — prompted by Houthi-related disruptions in the Red Sea — have temporarily absorbed much of the new capacity added over the past two years, analysts caution that ongoing fleet expansion is increasing pressure on the balance between supply, demand, and freight rates.

Meanwhile, Ocean Network Express (ONE), the world’s sixth-largest container shipping company, has forecast a net loss of about US$61 million for the second half of its 2025 fiscal year, ending March 31, 2026, citing market pressures linked to overcapacity.

Source: SeatradeMaritime News

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