Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has emerged as the first ocean carrier to surpass a staggering five million TEU in fleet capacity.
The development highlights MSC’s meteoric rise in recent years, as the shipping giant accomplished the growth from four million TEU to five million TEU in 22 months.
MSC has effectively doubled the size of its fleet in just eight and a half years, solidifying its position as a prominent force within the maritime sector.
Alphaliner’s calculations show that MSC purchased 306 containerships with a capacity of 1.2 million TEU since August 2020 – basically buying any ship the company could get its hands on.
However, while the fleet capacity has expanded significantly, MSC’s actual transport capacity has experienced a more moderate growth trajectory. This divergence arises from the evolving dynamics within the shipping industry, where vessels have adopted slower steaming speeds compared to two decades ago.
The Swiss-based container shipping giant MSC has the largest orderbook by far in the industry with around 130 containerships on order including the latest contract.
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