This new record surpasses the previous high set by Maersk in 2018, which peaked at 19.4%.
Other carriers have also seen increases in market share this year. Israel’s ZIM has surpassed Taiwan’s Yang Ming for the first time since 2011, gaining an additional 0.2% to reach a total of 2.4%. Japan’s Ocean Network Express has grown its market share from 5.9% to 6.4% year-on-year, and Hapag-Lloyd’s share has risen from 6.8% to 7.2%.
In contrast, Maersk’s market share has continued to decline despite a temporary boost from the delivery of 25 newbuildings. As Maersk pursues growth beyond shipping and aims to become an end-to-end logistics provider, it plans to cap its fleet size at 4.1-4.3 million TEU, which limits its market share growth compared to competitors like MSC and CMA CGM.
Meanwhile, CMA CGM and HMM have recorded minor decreases in market share, while Evergreen and Yang Ming have seen more significant declines.
The top 10 carriers continue to dominate the container shipping market, collectively representing 83.9% of the operated fleet as of the end of July, slightly down from 84.0% a year ago. This shift marks a return to pre-COVID levels after a spike during the pandemic when well-resourced lines expanded their fleets significantly to benefit from high pandemic rates, increasing the top 10 share from previous levels of 82-83%, according to Alphaliner.