10/05/2025
TOP 10 LARGEST SHIPPING COMPANIES IN THE WORLD
1. MSC – Mediterranean Shipping Company
Maersk has been in the No. 1 spot since it overtook Evergreen in 1996. The domination of Maersk Line in terms of TEU capacity has been broken first time in 25 years by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
It is a Swiss international cargo company established in the year 1970. With a buying spree of new and old vessels, MSC added almost 100 ships to its fleet in the last year. Having 800 ships, the conglomerate is rated to be one of the most extensive cargo companies globally, with a TEU capacity of around 5,614,057 TEUs.
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2. APM-Maersk
A shipping corporation based in Denmark, Maersk Shipping Line dominated the world container shipping market, holding the No. 1 spot for more than 25 years.
Maersk Shipping Line is an AP Moller- Maersk company branch. Widely well-known for its fleet of container ships, the Maersk Line debuted in the international container shipping arena in 1904. Now, the company is diversifying its presence in the green fuel and digital technology space.
Currently, the company has a fleet of around 675 container ships with a capacity of around 4,117,136 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units).
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3. CMA-CGM
France’s leading container shipping company, CMA-CGM, is the 3rd largest company in TEU capacity.
CMA CGM came into existence in the year 1978 as a result of a series of mergers between previously established shipping corporations.
Jacques Saade, the head of the company, was the instrumental force behind its coming into active operation. At present, the company has a fleet of 624 ships operating in over 150 routes globally. It has a carrying capacity of around 3,578,494 TEU.
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4. COSCO – China Ocean Shipping Company
The China Ocean Shipping Company, or COSCO, as it is popularly known, is one of the leading conglomerates in terms of container shipping companies.
COSCO pushed down to 4th position by CMA CGM, has its operations spread over 40 countries with a fleet of around 490 container ships with a container carrying capacity of 3,054,323 TEU.
However, its order book contains an additional 837,492 TEU and 50 ships, which will be added to the company’s capacity in the coming year.
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5. Hapag-Lloyd
The German-based Hapag-Lloyd is one of the most renowned and well-featured companies in terms of international shipping companies.
The company was established in 1970 due to a merger between the Hamburg-American Line and the North German company Lloyd. Today, the shipping corporation has 266 ships catering to about 1,963,934 TEU container carrying capacity worldwide.
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6. ONE – Ocean Network Express
Established on July 7th, 2017, One Network Express integrates three major shipping companies: MOL, “K”-Line, and NYK.
Setup in Japan and headquartered in Singapore, ONE was founded to strengthen services in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
The alliance of these three companies currently has a combined fleet of 231 vessels with a container carrying capacity of 1,799,818 TEU, making it one of the largest container shipping alliance companies in the world.
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7. Evergreen Line
A shipping conglomerate based in Taiwan, the Evergreen Marine Corporation was founded in 1968 by Dr Yung-Fa Chang, a visionary in his own right.
At present, the company has offices established worldwide with an operational capacity of 211 container ships and a container carrying capacity of 1,644,883 TEU.
It is regarded to be one of the largest cargo shipping companies in the world. Currently, Evergreen Line has the world’s largest container ships in its fleet.
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8. Hyundai Merchant Marine
HMM Co. LTD., formerly known as Hyundai Merchant Marine, is a leading container shipping company based in South Korea.
With a fleet of 70 vessels and a cargo-carrying capacity of 783,732 TEU, HMM Co. LTD. is one of the top 10 shipping companies in the world, moving the largest portion of South Korea’s exports.
Being a top integrated logistics company globally, HMM Co. LTD. plays an important role in Korea’s economic development.
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9. Yang Ming Marine Transport
Based in Keelung, Taiwan, Yang Ming Marine Transport is one of the oldest and largest shipping companies globally.
Established in 1972, the company provides services across Asia, Europe, America, and Australia with a fleet of 94 vessels. It has a container carrying capacity of around 708,593 TEU.
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10 Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd
Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., commonly known as ZIM, is an Israeli international cargo shipping company.
It was founded in 1945 as the ZIM Palestine Navigation Company Ltd. Currently, ZIM has a fleet of 124 ships with a total container carrying capacity of 619,349 TEUs. It has added more than 30 ships to its fleet in 2021, making it one of the top 10 container shipping companies in the world.
Thank you Marine Insight for sharing this information.
