MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company and A.P. Moller-Maersk, the two leading container shipping companies in the world, have shown clearly divergent trends in their market share during the month of May, according to data collected by Alphaliner. The gap between the two companies continues to widen in a context of sustained growth in the global fleet.
After the accelerated expansion of its fleet since 2020, MSC reached a new market share record last month, operating 21.5% of the world's container shipping capacity. No shipping company had previously achieved such a percentage. The only operator that had come close to this figure was A.P. Moller-Maersk, which reached 19.3% of the market in 2018.
The Geneva-based company continues to absorb market share from other operators and has been the only one among the top ten shipping companies in the world to record a peak in its market share this year. MSC, the world's largest container shipping company, has doubled its market share since 2010.
On the opposite end, A.P. Moller-Maersk has adopted a different strategy. In May, the Danish shipping company recorded its lowest market share in two decades. The tonnage operated by the group represented only 13.7% of the total container fleet, the lowest level since the acquisition of P&O Nedlloyd in 2005.
