AnalysisCarriers and ports · Biggest by fleet, and what that leaves out
Who is the No. 1 container company, and why your box may sail on someone else’s ship
By fleet capacity the answer is MSC, at 7,346,531 TEU and 21.4% of the world fleet, ahead of Maersk on 13.8% and CMA CGM on 12.8%. Two things complicate it immediately. A large share of that capacity is chartered rather than owned — 35.8% at MSC, 53.1% at ONE — and alliance agreements mean the carrier named on your booking often is not the carrier whose vessel sails your container. Size answers a market question; it does not answer yours.
The top ten by fleet
| # | Carrier | Fleet TEU | Share of world fleet | Chartered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MSC | 7,346,531 | 21.4% | 35.8% |
| 2 | Maersk | 4,729,902 | 13.8% | 38.4% |
| 3 | CMA CGM | 4,388,874 | 12.8% | 34.4% |
| 4 | COSCO | 3,645,322 | 10.6% | 39.6% |
| 5 | Hapag-Lloyd | 2,404,076 | 7.0% | 39.4% |
| 6 | ONE | 2,165,868 | 6.3% | 53.1% |
| 7 | Evergreen | 2,022,899 | 5.9% | — |
| 8 | HMM | 1,033,593 | 3.0% | — |
| 9 | Yang Ming | 757,240 | 2.2% | — |
| 10 | ZIM | 702,036 | 2.0% | — |
The top three hold 48% of the world fleet between them. The chartered column is the part rarely quoted: it says how much of the capacity is leased in and can be handed back when demand falls.
MSC or Maersk: the comparison people actually mean
On size the gap is decisive — MSC carries roughly 55% more capacity. On schedule reliability the ordering is different: Sea-Intelligence put Maersk ahead of MSC in its May 2026 assessment, against a global figure of 64.7%. On fleet composition MSC leans more on chartered tonnage, at 35.8% against Maersk's 38.4% — closer than the size gap suggests.
Which of the three matters depends on what you are buying. For a shipper booking spot slots on a major lane, reliability moves the outcome and capacity rarely does.
Why the carrier on your booking may not carry your box
Container lines share capacity through alliances and slot-charter agreements. A booking made with one carrier is routinely loaded onto a partner's vessel, and the bill of lading, the liability and the demurrage tariff still follow the carrier you contracted with rather than the one whose funnel is on the ship.
That is why "who is biggest" answers less than it appears to. The operational questions — whose tariff sets your free time, whose bill of lading governs a claim, whose customer service answers when the box is held — are settled by the contract, not by the fleet list.
When the carrier's identity actually matters to you
- When a claim lands. The bill of
lading issuer is the counterparty, and if an NVOCC issued it, the vessel operator is not your counterparty at all.
- When free time runs out. The demurrage tariff is the carrier's, and the spread is wide: at
New York, ONE's published import tariff steps from $350 a day to $770 past day thirty.
- When schedule matters more than price. Reliability is published by carrier and by month, and
the same publisher's own figures move enough between issues to be worth reading twice.
Where this goes next
Three pages carry the rest of this question: the number behind it, the comparison of whoever would do it, and the check that runs before you pay.
- where the freight quote stops and the invoice continues — the figure behind it
- who the ranking pages name, and what is checkable about them — who does it
- the licence and bond behind the company name — check the licence
Two neighbouring pieces sit closer to this one than any of them: How much does a 50 lb package cost to ship, and the volume decides the mode.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the No. 1 container company?
MSC, at 7,346,531 TEU and 21.4% of the world fleet as read on 07/26/2026, ahead of Maersk on 13.8% and CMA CGM on 12.8%.
Who is bigger, MSC or Maersk?
MSC, by roughly 55% on fleet capacity. On schedule reliability the ordering reverses in Sea-Intelligence's May 2026 assessment, which is a different question from size.
What are the three major shipping companies?
MSC, Maersk and CMA CGM, holding 21.4%, 13.8% and 12.8% of the world fleet respectively — about 48% between them.
Who is the largest maritime shipping company?
By container capacity, MSC. By revenue, by tanker tonnage or by bulk fleet the answer changes entirely, because those are separate industries measured separately.
Does the biggest carrier keep its schedule best?
No. Sea-Intelligence measured global schedule reliability at 64.7% for May 2026 and its carrier ordering does not follow the size ordering. Capacity and punctuality are independent.
Sources
- Alphaliner Top 100, fleet and chartered share, read 07/26/2026.
- Sea-Intelligence, Global Liner Performance issue 178 — global schedule reliability 64.7% for May 2026; issue 177 gives 62.4% for April.
- ONE Advisory 106, effective 01/23/2026, read 07/26/2026 — published US import demurrage tariff.