The largest container shipping companies continued to dominate global liner shipping during the first half of 2026, while maintaining strong investment in fleet renewal despite geopolitical uncertainty and a changing regulatory landscape. According to the latest fleet data from Alphaliner , the world’s top ten carriers accounted for a significant share of global container shipping capacity. At the same time, they continued to expand their orderbooks, reflecting long-term confidence in global trade despite ongoing challenges such as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, stricter environmental regulations and evolving supply chain dynamics. The latest rankings also show that competition remains intense. While the leading positions have remained largely unchanged, differences in fleet expansion strategies, orderbook size and network development continue to shape the competitive landscape heading into the second half of 2026. Largest container shipping companies by fleet size Rank Operator Fleet (TEU) Market share Orderbook (vessels) 1 Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) 7,333,579 21.5% 134 2 Maersk 4,723,293 13.8% 88 3 CMA CGM Group 4,365,096 12.8% 159 4 COSCO Group 3,633,023 10.6% 138 5 Hapag-Lloyd 2,384,470 7.0% 63 6 ONE (Ocean Network Express) 2,160,144 6.3% 52 7 Evergreen Line 2,006,343 5.9% 77 8 HMM 1,033,593 3.0% 34 9 Yang Ming Marine Transport 741,640 2.2% 16 10 ZIM 699,650 2.1% 24 MSC strengthens its market leadership MSC remains the clear market leader. The carrier now operates more than 7.3 million TEUs, giving it a market share of 21.5%. It also holds a lead of more than 2.6 million TEUs over second-ranked Maersk. The Swiss carrier continues to expand through both acquisitions and newbuilding deliveries. With 134 vessels on order, MSC is expected to maintain its leadership position for the foreseeable future. Fleet renewal continues across the industry The latest orderbook data shows that investment remains strong among the largest container shipping comp