News / CMA CGM the fastest-growing top-ten container carrier this year

Photo: VesselFinder

CMA CGM has been the fastest-growing top-ten container carrier this year, overtaking long-time leader MSC, strengthening its bid to become the world’s second-largest liner operator. 

According to Alphaliner, the French carrier added 235,500 teu of fleet capacity in the first six months of the year, representing growth of 5.7%. 

While Taiwan’s Yang Ming posted the highest percentage increase, of 5.8%, its fleet expansion was a more modest 41,200 teu. 

By comparison, MSC added 205,000 teu during the period, a 2.9% increase that was only slightly ahead of the top ten’s average of 2.7%. The Geneva-based line has dominated fleet expansion in recent years, adding more than 831,000 teu last year alone. 

“After many years, MSC appears to be no longer the fastest-growing top-ten carrier,” said Alphaliner.  

The French line’s growth has narrowed the gap with Maersk in the race for second place. CMA CGM’s fleet now stands at 4.39m teu, compared with Maersk’s 4.73m teu – but its orderbook totals around 1.8m teu, against the Danish carrier’s 1.2m teu. 

In a recent interview with French media, CMA CGM chairman and CEO Rodolphe Saadé reiterated his ambitions to make the company the world’s second-largest carrier before the end of 2027. 

CMA CGM’s first-half expansion was driven by the delivery of 12 new vessels: the 24,212 teu LNG-powered CMA CGM Notre Dame, now the flagship of the fleet; the 23,872 teu LNG-fuelled CMA CGM Grand Palais; and 10 methanol-powered ships ranging from 13,130 to 16,180 teu. 

MSC’s growth, meanwhile, came largely from eight newbuild deliveries, including the 16,169 teu MSC Claire and seven others of between 10,300 and 11,480 teu. 

Maersk boosted its fleet capacity by 116,500 teu, or 2.5%, through deliveries that included the methanol-powered 17,480 teu Maersk Barcelona, four vessels of around 9,000 teu, and three of 5,915 teu, plus two 13,092 teu vessels chartered from Seaspan. 

Elsewhere, Ocean Network Express (ONE) expanded its capacity by 84,500 teu, or 4.1%, while Cosco recorded more modest growth of 1.3%. Hapag-Lloyd and Zim were the only top-ten carriers whose capacity reduced, by 0.2% and 1.6%, respectively. 

Overall, the global liner fleet expanded by 2% during the first half. 

Separately, Taiwan’s Evergreen passed another industry milestone, becoming only the seventh container carrier to operate a fleet exceeding 2m teu, across 241 containerships, giving it a 5.9% share of global fleet capacity and leaving it just behind ONE’s 2.16m teu fleet. 

However, Alphaliner also noted Evergreen had 77 vessels (890,000 teu) on order, equivalent to 44% of its existing fleet capacity, potentially giving it scope to overtake ONE and move into sixth place globally. 

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