MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has made history, becoming the first liner operator to surpass a fleet capacity of 7 million TEU. According to the latest industry data, the Geneva-based carrier has solidified its position as the undisputed leader in global container shipping.
With a current fleet capacity of 7,002,757 TEU and an additional 2 million TEU on order, MSC now controls over 21% of the world’s total container capacity. To put this into perspective, MSC’s fleet is now larger than the combined fleets of former industry leaders Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. Even without its extensive order book, MSC’s existing ships outsize the total capacity of the Premier Alliance members ONE, HMM, and Yang Ming combined.
This milestone marks a period of extraordinary expansion for the company. In just a decade, MSC has tripled its capacity through an ambitious strategy that blends aggressive investment in new vessels with the strategic acquisition of secondhand ships. The company overtook Maersk as the world’s largest liner in early 2022 and has only accelerated its growth since.
This year alone, MSC has acquired 50 secondhand vessels, with the most recent purchase being the 3,534 TEU Newnew Star 2. This rapid expansion has not only redefined the competitive landscape of the shipping industry but has also elevated landlocked Switzerland into the top 10 ship-owning nations globally.
From its origins as a family business started by Captain Gianluigi Aponte in 1970, MSC, now led by CEO Soren Toft, has demonstrated a powerful combination of long-term vision and relentless execution. The 7 million TEU mark, once considered an impossible figure, now stands as the new benchmark for the global shipping industry.