Shipping alliances continue to strengthen their dominance across the global container shipping industry, with the latest fleet data showing that alliance carriers together with MSC now control almost 83% of the market. According to the latest figures from Alphaliner , shipping alliances and MSC currently account for approximately 82.9% of global container shipping capacity, compared with 82.5% recorded in October 2025 and 82.1% one year ago . The latest increase confirms the continued concentration of market power among the industry’s largest liner operators. Although alliance members do not deploy their entire fleets within joint services, the scale of cooperation between the major carriers continues to shape competition across the main East-West trade corridors. MSC strengthens independent leadership Despite operating outside a formal alliance structure following the end of the 2M partnership, MSC continues to dominate the global container shipping market independently. The Geneva-based carrier now controls 21.6% of global container shipping capacity, up from 21% recorded in late 2025. MSC’s operated fleet has also surpassed the symbolic milestone of 1,000 ships, reaching approximately 7.32 million TEUs. The carrier continues to pursue one of the industry’s most aggressive expansion strategies, supported by an orderbook of 126 vessels. MSC’s scale now allows the company to compete directly against entire shipping alliances across both East-West and North-South trades, reinforcing its unique position within the liner shipping sector. Gemini Cooperation approaches 21% market share The Gemini Cooperation partners, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, continue to hold one of the strongest positions among global shipping alliances. Together, the two carriers operate approximately 7.06 million TEUs across 1,027 ships, representing around 20.9% of global container shipping capacity. Maersk currently controls 4.66 million TEUs across 737 vessels, while Hapag-Lloyd operates nearly 2.4