Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) started the new year recognized as the world’s largest containership company by capacity. Data analysts and consultancy Alphaliner updated its ranking of the Top 100 and for the first time reflects MSC in the lead position ahead of Maersk by just 1,888 TEU, reports Maritime Executive.
Growth of MSE
A relative upstart in the industry when compared to the venerated Maersk that dominated the rankings for decades, MSC is expected to continue to accelerate its growth.
Privately held, MSC does not announce each transaction leaving industry analysts to link the company to construction orders, charters, and secondhand tonnage. Alphaliner projects that MSC will increase its current capacity by nearly a quarter adding nearly one million TEU to its capacity.
About MSE
Founded in 1970, and controlled for more than 40 years by the Aponte family, MSC evolved from one vessel to its current fleet of 645 ships with a rated capacity of 4,284,728 TEU.
The company reports that it today calls at 500 ports on more than 230 trade routes and annually transports more than 23 million TEU. One of the elements that have helped MSC to accelerate its growth in recent years is the use of chartered vessels with a smaller owned fleet.
Currently, MSC is reported to own just 260 of its ships with a capacity of 1.5 million TEU with nearly two-thirds of its capacity coming from vessels mostly on long-term charters.
About Maersk
Maersk was on track to report record results and the largest profit ever for a Danish company in 2021.
Maersk traces its origins to 1904 and got its start in container shipping in 1975 with the first of nine newly built ships.
Maersk made news in August 2021 with the order of eight 16,000 TEU vessels that are designed to operate on methanol, but its total order book represents just six percent of current capacity. Unlike all of its competitors, Maersk has also not ordered any of the ultra-large vessels set to surpass the 24,000 TEU mark.
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Source: Maritime Executive
