The global container shipping market is in a phase of reorganization, with fleet capacity breaking records and liner commercial strategies changing rapidly.
According to Alphaliner, the global fleet exceeded 33 million TEUs in November 2025, recording a new historical high.
By the end of 2024, the same analysis firm had reported that total capacity had exceeded 30 million TEUs, continuing an impressive growth trajectory from around 20 million TEUs 8 years ago.
At the same time, Alphaliner and AIS data show that fleet idleness remains at extremely low levels – just 0.8% – suggesting that global demand continues to absorb the ever-increasing capacity.
At the same time, liners are abandoning the policy of large and infrequent increases in container freight rates, adopting weekly General Rate Increases (GRI), imposing small but stable prices that maintain an upward trend in spot rates.
According to Drewry, this new strategy has led to short-term stabilization of the market.
In this context, uncertainty surrounding the operation of the Suez Canal continues to increase instability in Asia-Europe trade flows and keep freight rates at high levels.
Although the full reopening of the Canal is expected to exert downward pressure on the market, normalization is expected to be gradual, due to possible congestion in major ports and the rearrangement of East-West networks.
Dominance of the “10”
According to Alphaliner, the combined capacity of the 10 largest liners exceeded 33 million TEUs in November 2025, reaching a new all-time high.
The global container fleet now numbers 6,642 ships, bolstered by recent additions by major carriers, with MSC surpassing the 7 million TEU mark and HMM passing the 1 million TEU mark.
The top ten carriers now control more than 28.1 million TEUs on over 4,040 ships, dominating over 85% of global capacity.
MSC continues to lead the way in fleet growth, adding around 799,000 TEUs to 68 newbuildings in just 15 months, while the expansion of 14,000-16,000 TEU units and the strengthening of the chartered fleet and second-hand markets confirm the strategy of aggressive growth.
The commercially inactive fleet has decreased to 0.8% of the global fleet, indicating that demand continues to absorb new capacity.
AIS data records high utilization on East-West routes.
Of the ten largest container carriers, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is at the top with 7,052,528 TEUs, representing 21.3% of the total global capacity, followed by Maersk with 4,603,551 TEUs and CMA CGM with 4,085,913 TEUs, while China’s COSCO Group manages 3,538,118 TEUs. In fifth place is Hapag-Lloyd with 2,410,015 TEUs, while ONE has a fleet of 2,035,472 TEUs.
Evergreen Line has 1,938,786 TEUs, with HMM following with 1,016,180 TEUs. The top ten is completed by Yang Ming with 717,715 TEUs and ZIM with 703,598 TEUs.
Source: www.naftemporiki.gr
