Gitnux/Report 2026

Container Shipping Industry Statistics

EU ETS will cover 50% of container-ship CO2 from 2024—what that means for compliance costs and cleaner fleet planning.
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November 11, 2026Updated
Container Shipping Industry Statistics
Margot VilleneuveWritten by Margot Villeneuve·Edited by Catherine Wu·Fact-checked by Nicholas Chambers
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The container shipping industry at a glance

Container shipping is operating with a rapidly expanding fleet: global container-ship capacity reached 30.3 million TEU in April 2025, while trade growth and geopolitical disruptions continue to drive volatile rates.

920 million TEU
Global port throughput, 2024
30.3 million TEU[25]
Global fleet capacity, April 2025
2.3%[25]
Container trade CAGR, 2026–2030
21.5%[84]
MSC global capacity share, 2026
Market size
World container ports handled 920 million TEU in 2024, up 6.9% year on year. The global container-ship fleet stood at 6,033 vessels with 30.3 million TEU of capacity in April 2025.[25]
Forecast & CAGR
UNCTAD forecasts containerized trade growth of 1.4% in 2025 and an average annual growth rate of 2.3% from 2026 to 2030. The outlook is constrained by macroeconomic uncertainty, trade-policy changes and disruptions on major shipping lanes.[25]
Market share & regions
Developing economies in Asia handled 60% of global container-port traffic in 2024, while developing America handled 7% and developing Africa 5%. Asia also remains the best-connected major region in global liner shipping.[25]
Segmentation
Container shipping is segmented by trade geography and service type, including deep-sea East–West routes, regional and short-sea services, and feeder operations. In 2024, trans-Pacific eastbound volumes rose 14.7%, East Asia–Europe westbound volumes increased 10.2%, and transatlantic volumes grew 5.2%.[25]
Key players & concentration
The market is concentrated among a small group of global liner operators. Alphaliner ranked MSC first with 21.5% of global operated capacity in October 2026; Maersk, CMA CGM, COSCO and Hapag-Lloyd were the next-largest operators, and the top five represented roughly two-thirds of active capacity.[84]
Pricing
Freight pricing remains volatile rather than structurally stable. UNCTAD reported that container spot and charter rates remained elevated in 2024 and 2025, with Red Sea diversions increasing voyage lengths, fuel use, insurance costs and effective vessel demand; on the Shanghai–South America route, the average SCFI rate reached $9,026 per TEU in July 2024.[25]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Demand is being supported by consumer spending, South–South trade and supply-chain diversification, while fleet growth is creating oversupply risk. Red Sea rerouting added approximately 30% to some voyage lengths and increased global container TEU-mile demand by about 11% in 2024; congestion, geopolitical risk, tariffs and decarbonization costs remain major challenges.[25]
Consumer behavior & competition
Shippers are responding to volatility by diversifying sourcing and routes, holding more inventory and placing greater emphasis on schedule reliability and end-to-end logistics. Competition is increasingly based on network coverage, alliance structures, equipment availability, digital documentation and integrated logistics as well as headline freight rates.[25]
M&A
M&A activity is extending beyond ocean carriage into logistics and supply-chain services. In 2026, CMA CGM agreed to acquire FedEx Supply Chain for $1.4 billion, a transaction intended to expand CEVA Logistics and strengthen CMA CGM’s contract-logistics presence in North America.[58]
Regulation
Decarbonization regulation is becoming a central competitive issue. The IMO Net-Zero Framework approved in April 2025 proposes a mandatory marine-fuel standard and global greenhouse-gas pricing for oceangoing ships above 5,000 gross tonnage, which account for more than 85% of international-shipping emissions; adoption discussions were later adjourned until 2026.[39]
Latest news
The latest industry outlook remains dominated by fleet expansion, route disruption and regulatory uncertainty. UNCTAD’s September 2025 review said container, bulk and tanker freight rates remained elevated and volatile in 2024 and 2025, while Alphaliner’s October 2026 ranking showed MSC still leading the market with a 21.5% capacity share.[25][84]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Container Shipping Industry

The leading companies in the container shipping industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

Mediterranean Shipping Company leads Gitnux's 2026 container shipping ranking with an Overall score of 9.7, with 21.5% of global operated capacity in October 2026. CMA CGM is the runner-up at 9.5, driven by 24.2 million TEUs transported in 2025 across more than 250 shipping lines.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in container liner shipping

    Mediterranean Shipping Company

    CH

    Ranked #1 · 9.7 · Container liner shipping

    Why we picked it: It runs global liner networks with 21.5% operated capacity, linking scale to dense route coverage.

    See in ranking ↓Visit msc.com ↗

  2. #2 overall

    CMA CGM

    FR

    Ranked #2 · 9.5 · Container liner shipping

    Why we picked it: It combines high liner throughput with broad line coverage across global shipping services.

    See in ranking ↓Visit cma-cgm.com ↗

  3. #3 overall

    Maersk

    DK

    Ranked #3 · 9.1 · Container liner shipping

    Why we picked it: It anchors global container shipping operations while the financial signals reflect margin discipline.

    See in ranking ↓Visit maersk.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. No other segment places in the top 5, so picks 2 and 3 follow rank.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the container shipping industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Mediterranean Shipping Company

Container liner shipping · CH

9.7
2

CMA CGM

Container liner shipping · FR

9.5
3

Maersk

Container liner shipping · DK

9.1
4

COSCO SHIPPING Holdings

Container liner shipping · CN

8.7
5

Hapag-Lloyd

Container liner shipping · DE

8.5
6

Ocean Network Express

Global container liner shipping · SG

7.9
7

ZIM

Global container liner shipping and logistics · IL

7.8
8

Evergreen Marine

Global container liner shipping · TW

7.6
9

Wan Hai Lines

Container liner shipping, especially intra-Asia · TW

7.6
10

Yang Ming Marine Transport

Container liner shipping and logistics · TW

7.4

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the container shipping industry. In Container Shipping Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/container-shipping-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Containerized port traffic by economy group

Developing economies: Asia and Oceania holds the largest share at 522 million TEU.

Developing economies: Asia and Oceania522 million TEU
Developed economies238 million TEU
Developing economies: Americas59 million TEU
Developing economies: Africa39 million TEU
source-verifiedunctad.org

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Technology work centers on partial automation and slow automation uptake across terminals, with around 70 container terminals partially or fully automated by 2024. Data platforms, IoT tracking, and AI adoption remain uneven, with 15% of logistics service providers reporting AI at scale in 2026.

Automation in the container shipping industry

  • 30 automated terminal tractors was the planned fleet size for APM Terminals Maasvlakte II’s autonomous-container-transport programme in Rotterdam in 2026.[1]
  • 67% of surveyed container-terminal professionals worldwide rated their terminals’ automation level as low or moderate in 2023.[1]
  • Around 70 container terminals worldwide were partially or fully automated by 2024.[1]
  • 1 fully automated container terminal opened at Busan New Port’s sixth terminal in South Korea in April 2024.[1]
  • 100 container terminals had joined Portchain Connect by March 2024, representing just over 20% of global container capacity.[1]
  • 40% of the 10 largest U.S. container ports used automated cargo-handling equipment in 2024.[2]

Digital Transformation in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 51% identified high costs as a challenge to digitalizing logistics operations in 2025.[3]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 69% expected digitalization to improve efficiency in 2025.[3]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 63% expected digitalization to enhance customer experience in 2025.[3]
  • Across surveyed freight forwarders and logistics providers, 49% had digitized 50% or fewer of business processes or transactions in November 2024.[4]
  • Across surveyed freight forwarders and logistics providers, 23% had digitized more than 75% of business processes or transactions in November 2024.[4]

Technology Adoption in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among 2026 transportation-management survey respondents, 15% of logistics service providers reported using AI at scale.[5]
  • Among 2026 transportation-management survey respondents, 19% of shippers reported using AI at scale.[5]
  • Across transportation and logistics executives surveyed in Europe and North America, 44% were using AI for transportation planning and optimization in 2025.[6]
  • Across transportation and logistics organizations, 53% were partially or fully deploying AI to reduce workloads in 2024.[5]
  • Across transportation and logistics organizations, 53% were partially or fully deploying automated real-time shipment tracking to address knowledge-worker shortages in 2024.[5]

Cloud Computing in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across travel, transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 85% said leadership viewed cloud as a long-term investment in 2023.[7]
  • Across travel, transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 89% planned to increase AI and machine-learning investment during the following one to two years.[7]
  • Across travel, transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 84% had increased AI and machine-learning investment during the preceding one to two years.[7]
  • Across travel, transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 75% said cloud was crucial to their organization’s future in 2023.[7]

Big Data in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • 9.5% of transportation and storage enterprises used big-data analytics alone in the OECD’s 2026 cross-sector comparison, based on the latest available enterprise data.[8]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 34% identified data analytics, including cloud platforms and AI-powered solutions, as the most critical technology in 2025.[3]
  • Among global logistics decision-makers, 49% expected digitalization to improve data visibility in 2025.[3]
  • 45% of surveyed multinational logistics and supply-chain organizations said in 2024 that they were using logistics data to its full potential, according to a survey of 60 organizations.[9]
  • 38% of surveyed GCC logistics organizations used structured data, while 20% recognized a systematic link between data and business insights, according to a 2023 study.[10]
  • 12.5% of transportation and storage enterprises used both cloud computing and big-data analytics, according to the OECD’s 2026 sectoral comparison of enterprise technology adoption.[8]

Blockchain in the container shipping industry

  • 31.5 million TradeLens observations covered container consignments recorded between May and October 2022.[11]
  • 1 blockchain-based container-shipping platform, TradeLens, operated from 2018 until its discontinuation in 2023.[11]
  • 10 million+ discrete shipping events were being processed by TradeLens in 2019.[12]
  • 3 million unique consignment identifiers were represented in the TradeLens dataset covering May–October 2022.[11]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data and analytics emphasis shows up in booking digitization, sensor datasets, and operational datasets from rerouting. ONE processed 93% of customer bookings through digital platforms in 2026, and 90% of Red Sea vessel capacity was rerouted in 2024.

Business intelligence in the container shipping industry

  • 22 terminals were targeted for Maersk’s API Store data services by 2021.[13]
  • 26 terminals already had a basic truck-appointment system in Maersk’s 2020 disclosure.[13]
  • 15 terminals had monetised data services in Maersk’s terminal business in 2020.[13]
  • 20,000 registered users were reported across APM Terminals’ online platforms in 2020.[13]
  • 9 million truck visits per year were cited by Maersk for its terminal network in 2020.[13]
  • 93% of Ocean Network Express customer bookings were processed through digital platforms in 2026.[14]

Data analytics in the container shipping industry

  • 22,206 TEUs was ONE’s highest reported loadability before the 22,233-TEU record on ONE Innovation.[15]
  • 90% of Red Sea vessel capacity was rerouted in 2024, creating a large operational dataset for route and capacity analytics.[16]
  • 7 world records in vessel loadability had been maintained by ONE by 2024, supported by operational data and analytics.[15]
  • 22 Maersk terminals were planned for API-based data services by 2021.[13]
  • 3.48 million container-sensor data points were used in a 2025 adaptive monitoring study of shipping containers.[17]
  • 15 Maersk terminals had monetised data services in 2020.[13]

Data Quality in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across supply management organizations, 67% said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[18]
  • Across transportation and logistics shippers, 33% identified data quality as a top barrier to scaling artificial intelligence in 2026.[5]
  • Across supply management organizations, 33% rated their data-security ability as very high for assuring data quality in 2024.[18]
  • Across supply management organizations, 49% rated their data quality as good or excellent in 2024.[18]

Data Governance in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across supply management organizations, 61% had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024.[18]
  • Across supply management organizations with a data-governance function, 47% housed it in a center of excellence in 2024.[18]
  • Across supply management organizations with a data-governance program, 81% found the program useful in 2024.[18]
  • 19% of shipper respondents said their supply chain governance maturity was running ahead, meaning proactive and predictable, in the 2024 global survey.[19]
  • 42.8% of airlines surveyed worldwide considered themselves to be in the early stages of data-strategy implementation in the IATA 2024 survey.[20]
  • 49% of shipper respondents said their supply chain governance maturity was running in place, with no noticeable progress, in the 2024 global survey.[19]

KPIs in the container shipping industry

  • 54% was global vessel schedule reliability in June 2024.[21]
  • 54.8% was global container-line reliability in November 2024, according to Sea-Intelligence data reported by Seatrade Maritime News.[22]
  • 50.7% was Yang Ming’s on-time performance in 2023.[23]
  • 62.1% was on-time performance for the 13 largest container carriers in 2023.[23]
  • 32.3% was Yang Ming’s on-time performance in 2022.[23]
  • 47% was Drewry’s global container-shipping on-time performance in December 2025.[24]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Capacity expansion drives the planning baseline while demand and utilization stay uncertain. Idle capacity represented 0.8% of the global containership fleet at December 31, 2025, alongside an orderbook-to-fleet ratio of 34.5% at December 31, 2025.

Growth in the container shipping industry

  • Idle capacity represented 0.8% of the global containership fleet at December 31, 2025.[16]
  • Containerized trade is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 2.7% from 2025 through 2029.[25]
  • MSC increased its container capacity 17.1% between April 2024 and April 2025.[25]
  • The global containership orderbook-to-fleet ratio reached 34.5% at December 31, 2025.[16]
  • Global seaborne trade is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 2% from 2026 through 2030.[25]
  • Global containerized cargo volumes grew 6.6% in 2024.[16]

Strategic partnerships in the container shipping industry

  • On European routes, the Ocean Alliance accounted for 31.9% of fleet capacity in 2025.[26]
  • The Ocean Alliance comprised CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen and OOCL and continued unchanged in 2025.[25]
  • The Gemini Cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd became effective in February 2025.[25]
  • The Ocean Alliance, Premier Alliance and Gemini Cooperation collectively controlled about 71% of global container capacity in February 2025.[27]
  • The Gemini Cooperation held about 13% of global container capacity in February 2025.[27]
  • The Premier Alliance between ONE, HMM and Yang Ming became effective in February 2025.[25]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce constraints remain a measurable risk input for operations and staffing. Estimated missing STCW-certified officers reached 39,100 in 2026, with a 35% increase in demand for STCW-certified seafarers between 2021 and 2026.

Hiring in the container shipping industry

  • 39,100 STCW-certified officers were estimated to be missing from the global seafarer workforce in 2026.[28]
  • 35% was the increase in demand for STCW-certified seafarers between 2021 and 2026.[28]
  • 113,735 additional officers were projected to be needed by 2030 to operate the world merchant fleet.[28]
  • 23.1% was the increase in demand for officers between 2021 and 2026.[28]
  • 499 German sea-based shipping training contracts were recorded in 2024, up from 418 in 2023.[29]

Employee retention in the container shipping industry

  • 73.2% of surveyed seafarers were satisfied with their professional-growth opportunities in 2024.[30]
  • 75.2% of surveyed seafarers said they felt valued in their onboard role in 2024.[30]
  • 72.4% of surveyed seafarers were happy with their work–life balance in 2024.[30]
  • 59.5% of surveyed seafarers were satisfied with their salary and benefits package in 2024.[30]
  • 73.0% of surveyed seafarers said in 2024 that they would happily recommend their current employer to colleagues.[30]

Remote Work in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. transportation and utilities, 20.3% of workers could work from home in 2024–2025, while 18.6% actually did so, according to annual averages.[31]
  • Across U.S. transportation and utilities occupations, about 11% of workers worked remotely at least sometimes from October 2023 through September 2024.[32]
  • Among U.S. transportation, logistics, supply-chain and storage hires, 17.0% of hires at small companies were remote during the year ending September 2024.[33]
  • In the U.S. transportation and warehousing industry, 13.9% of wage and salary employees worked from home in January 2025.[34]

Hybrid Work in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among transportation employers surveyed for the U.S. Job Outlook, 33.3% reported fully hybrid work arrangements in 2024.[35]
  • Across transportation and logistics companies surveyed globally, 42% reported a hybrid work arrangement in 2025.[36]
  • Globally, 25% of engaged employees were working in hybrid arrangements in 2025, compared with 30% of exclusively remote employees and 17% of on-site, non-remote-capable employees.[37]
  • Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 54% worked hybrid schedules in August 2026.[37]

Upskilling in the container shipping industry

  • 756 women were among the 8,709 seafaring students completing 12 months of onboard training in 2023.[38]
  • 102 IMO-sponsored training courses and workshops were delivered worldwide in 2023.[39]
  • 25 maritime professionals from 5 Asian countries joined the first SMART-C Women online training session in June 2024.[39]
  • 286 World Maritime University graduates completed programmes in 2023, with women representing 36%.[39]
  • 8,709 seafaring students completed 12 months of onboard training in the 2023 survey population.[38]

Employee Engagement in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • In U.S. logistics, 40% of frontline workers wanted to quit in 2024, according to a survey of 500 logistics employees.[40]
  • In U.S. logistics, more than 60% of frontline workers considered their roles long-term career commitments in 2024.[40]
  • Across Asia-Pacific transport and logistics organizations, 62% of employees were actively engaged, based on feedback from 30,116 employees in 24 surveys.[41]
  • In U.S. logistics, 71% of frontline workers reported workplace stress in 2024.[40]
  • Globally, 20% of employees were engaged at work in 2025, while 16% were actively disengaged.[37]

DEI in the container shipping industry

  • 16% of surveyed private-sector maritime employees, excluding seafarers, were women in 2024.[39]
  • 176,820 women were covered by the 2024 IMO-WISTA maritime workforce survey.[39]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Customer response is tracked through satisfaction and switching reasons, with disputes and performance issues prominent in the provided studies. Separately, digitized ownership reports tie digitalization to customer experience: 88% of highly digitalised cargo owners reported improvement in 2025.

Customer experience in the container shipping industry

  • 91.44% of interviewed SITC customers expressed satisfaction with container-shipping services in 2025, based on 1,630 valid questionnaires in China.[42]
  • 70% of less-digitalised cargo owners said digitalisation in container shipping improves customer satisfaction and customer experience in the DCSA survey.[43]
  • 1,630 valid customer-satisfaction questionnaires were collected by SITC for its container-shipping services in 2025, covering 33% of customers with official codes.[42]
  • 88% of highly digitalised cargo owners said digitalisation in container shipping improves customer satisfaction and customer experience in the DCSA survey.[43]

Customer retention in the container shipping industry

  • 49% of customers who would change container-shipping providers cited a dispute as a reason in a 2024 Indian CRM study.[44]
  • 16% of customers who would change container-shipping providers cited an odd route as a reason in a 2024 Indian CRM study.[44]
  • 5% of customers who would change container-shipping providers cited reasons other than price, relationships, disputes, routes or delivery timing in a 2024 Indian CRM study.[44]
  • 23% of customers who would change container-shipping providers cited non-delivery on time as a reason in a 2024 Indian CRM study.[44]
  • 87% of surveyed Indian container-shipping customers said they would change service providers, while 13% said they would not, in a 2024 CRM study.[44]

Customer acquisition in the container shipping industry

  • SITC expected online revenue to exceed 23% in the coming year as it expanded online channels to attract customers from offline practices, according to its 2025 report.[42]
  • SITC expected online customers to exceed 28% in the coming year as part of its container-shipping e-commerce expansion, according to its 2025 report.[42]

Customer loyalty in the container shipping industry

  • 5.82 was the mean score for strong loyalty to the main shipping company among surveyed importers and freight forwarders in a container-shipping study.[45]
  • 25.9% of surveyed firms on Canada’s West Coast had signed loyalty contracts with shipping conferences in the reported survey.[46]
  • 41.5% of small surveyed Canadian firms had signed loyalty contracts with shipping conferences in the reported survey.[46]
  • 37.2% of surveyed Canadian importers had signed loyalty contracts with shipping conferences in the reported survey.[46]
  • 68.2% of surveyed Canadian freight forwarders had signed loyalty contracts with shipping conferences in the reported survey.[46]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Brand signals in this dataset rely on social presence metrics and digital adoption surveys rather than shipment performance. Maersk Line reported using more than 10 social-media platforms in its early B2B programme, while influencer adoption plans were cited by 29% of B2B companies for 2025.

Marketing in the container shipping industry

  • 15%–20% of Maersk Line’s Facebook fans said they were customers in a survey reported by the company’s head of social media.[47]
  • Maersk Line spent less than $100,000 on external social-media resources during its first one-and-a-half years of the programme, according to its head of social media.[47]
  • More than 10 social-media platforms were used by Maersk Line in its early B2B social-media programme.[47]

Digital marketing in the container shipping industry

  • 54% of UK cargo-owning companies reported full or advanced digitalisation in the DCSA survey.[43]
  • 56% of US cargo-owning companies reported full or advanced digitalisation in the DCSA survey.[43]
  • 59% of German cargo-owning companies reported full or advanced digitalisation in the DCSA survey.[43]
  • 53% of Asian cargo-owning companies reported full or advanced digitalisation in the DCSA survey.[43]
  • 86% of cargo owners agreed that early adoption of digitalisation provides a competitive advantage in container shipping in the DCSA survey.[43]

Social media in the container shipping industry

  • 173,387 Facebook followers were recorded for CMA CGM Group on September 14, 2022, in a study of maritime companies.[48]
  • 52,692 Facebook followers were recorded for Mediterranean Shipping Company on September 14, 2022, in a study of maritime companies.[49]
  • 7 Facebook posts from COSCO Group were analysed in a study of container-liner social-media engagement during the pandemic.[49]
  • 66 Facebook posts from APM-Maersk were analysed in a study of container-liner social-media engagement during the pandemic.[49]
  • 20 Facebook posts from Hapag-Lloyd were analysed in a study of container-liner social-media engagement during the pandemic.[49]

Influencer Marketing in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • 29% of B2B companies planned to adopt influencer marketing within the following year in 2025, globally.[50]
  • 49% of B2B marketers selected industry relevance as a criterion for choosing influencers in 2025, globally.[50]
  • 58% of B2B marketers selected authenticity and credibility as criteria for choosing influencers in 2025, globally.[50]
  • 53% of U.S. B2B marketers reported a growing dedicated influencer-marketing budget in 2024 survey data.[51]
  • 55% of B2B companies used influencers in 2025, according to a global survey of marketing decision-makers.[50]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Execution quality is measured via schedule reliability, dwell times, and utilization in port queues. Global vessel schedule reliability in June 2024 was 54%, and late container-vessel arrivals averaged 6.01 days during Red Sea diversions in January 2024.

Process optimization in the container shipping industry

  • 3.65 million TEU was Hapag-Lloyd’s aggregate container capacity in 2024, compared with 2.98 million TEU in 2023.[52]
  • 8% growth raised Hapag-Lloyd’s transport volume to 13.5 million TEU in 2025 after implementation of the Gemini Network.[52]
  • 41% of approximately 548,768 TEU in the San Pedro Bay vessel queue exceeded 10,000 TEU on May 15, 2026.[53]
  • 299 vessels formed Hapag-Lloyd’s liner fleet in 2024, up from 266 vessels in 2023, supporting network expansion and fleet modernization.[52]
  • 12.5 million TEU were transported by Hapag-Lloyd in 2024, 4.7% more than in 2023, reflecting increased network utilization.[52]

Operational efficiency in the container shipping industry

  • 53% was the average global container-ship schedule reliability in 2024, according to Sea-Intelligence.[54]
  • 6.01 days was the average delay for late container-vessel arrivals in January 2024 during Red Sea diversions.[55]
  • 3.3 days was 20-foot chassis dwell at the San Pedro Bay pool on May 15, 2026, while 40-foot-and-larger chassis averaged 5.3 days.[53]
  • 2.8 days was the average local-cargo dwell time at the Port of Los Angeles on May 15, 2026.[53]
  • 54.8% was global container-line schedule reliability in November 2024, the highest monthly level reported during that year.[22]

Quality management in the container shipping industry

  • 4.1 percentage points was the month-on-month improvement in global container-line reliability in November 2024.[22]
  • 61.5% was global container-shipping schedule reliability in 2025, an 8.5-percentage-point improvement from 2024’s 53% average.[56]
  • 50% to 55% was the range of global liner schedule reliability through most of 2024.[57]
  • 62.1% was annual global container-shipping schedule reliability in 2023, up 19.5 percentage points from 2022.[55]
  • 51.6% was global container-shipping schedule reliability in January 2024 amid Red Sea disruption.[55]

Supply chain in the container shipping industry

  • 13.5 million TEU was Hapag-Lloyd’s full-year transport volume in 2025 after the Gemini Network’s launch.[52]
  • 80% or more of world merchandise trade by volume is carried by sea, including containerized cargo, according to maritime-sector estimates cited by the Associated Press.[58]
  • 10.2 million TEU was Hapag-Lloyd’s transport volume in the first nine months of 2025, 9% higher than in the comparable 2024 period.[52]
  • 6.7 million TEU was Hapag-Lloyd’s transport volume in the first half of 2025, up 11% year on year.[52]
  • 12.5 million TEU was Hapag-Lloyd’s 2024 transport volume, with East-West trade growth supporting the increase.[52]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the transportation and logistics sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across surveyed logistics companies in Germany, the rest of Europe and Latin America, about 60% had fully outsourced transportation services in 2026.[59]
  • Across surveyed logistics companies in Germany, the rest of Europe and Latin America, 25% had fully outsourced warehouse operations in 2026.[59]
  • Across surveyed logistics companies in Germany, the rest of Europe and Latin America, 57% planned outsourcing projects in warehousing in 2026.[59]
  • Across surveyed logistics companies in Germany, the rest of Europe and Latin America, 65% expected outsourcing to continue increasing in 2026.[59]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing and cost metrics are presented alongside route rates and freight-rate levels. Hapag-Lloyd reported an average freight rate of $1,400 per TEU in the first half of 2025, and Maersk Ocean’s total operating cost rose to $28.202 billion in 2024.

Pricing strategy in the container shipping industry

  • $1,400 per TEU was Hapag-Lloyd’s average freight rate in the first half of 2025, compared with $1,391 per TEU in the first half of 2024.[52]
  • $1,888 per TEU was ZIM’s average freight rate in 2024, up from $1,203 per TEU in 2023.[60]
  • $1,397 per TEU was Hapag-Lloyd’s average freight rate in the first nine months of 2025, 4.8% below the prior-year level.[52]
  • $4,033 per FEU was the Asia–U.S. East Coast container rate reported by Freightos in January 2026.[55]
  • $6,011 per FEU was the Asia–Mediterranean rate reported by Freightos in September 2024.[55]

Cost reduction in the container shipping industry

  • $4.513 billion was ZIM’s 2024 operating expenses and cost of services, up from $3.885 billion in 2023.[60]
  • $28.202 billion was Maersk Ocean’s total operating cost in 2024, up from $26.781 billion in 2023.[61]
  • 7.4% was Hapag-Lloyd’s 2024 increase in transport expenses, driven partly by Cape of Good Hope rerouting.[52]
  • $2.51 billion was ZIM’s operating loss in 2023 before its return to operating profit in 2024.[60]
  • $1.75 million per vessel per year is the additional cost reported for employing French officers on CMA CGM ships.[62]

Profitability in the container shipping industry

  • $5.5 billion was CMA CGM’s 2024 net income, according to its full-year financial results.[12]
  • $2.588 billion was Hapag-Lloyd’s group profit in 2024, down from $3.189 billion in 2023.[52]
  • $4.878 billion was Hapag-Lloyd’s 2024 liner-shipping EBITDA, compared with $4.775 billion in 2023.[52]
  • $5.029 billion was Hapag-Lloyd’s 2024 group EBITDA, compared with $4.775 billion in 2023.[52]
  • $2.717 billion was Hapag-Lloyd’s 2024 liner-shipping EBIT, essentially unchanged from 2023.[52]

Financial planning in the container shipping industry

  • $2.8 billion to $3.8 billion was Hapag-Lloyd’s projected 2025 EBITDA range in its first-half 2025 outlook.[52]
  • $0.25 billion to $1.25 billion was Hapag-Lloyd’s projected 2025 EBIT range in its first-half 2025 outlook.[52]
  • $1.1 billion was Hapag-Lloyd’s preliminary 2025 EBIT, compared with $2.8 billion in 2024.[52]
  • $3.00 per share was Hapag-Lloyd’s proposed dividend for 2025, compared with €8.20 per share proposed for 2024.[52]
  • $55.5 billion was CMA CGM’s full-year 2024 revenue, an 18% year-on-year increase led by container shipping.[12]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Service configuration is shifting toward alternative fuels and higher-loadability operations. Ocean Network Express ordered 12 new 13,000-TEU methanol dual-fuel vessels in 2023, and recorded a 22,233-TEU record cargo loaded on ONE Innovation.

Product development in the container shipping industry

  • 12 new 13,000-TEU methanol dual-fuel vessels were ordered by Ocean Network Express in 2023.[63]
  • 22,233 TEUs was the record cargo loaded on ONE Innovation, according to Ocean Network Express’ 2026 sustainability report.[14]
  • 7 world records had been maintained by Ocean Network Express for vessel loadability by 2024.[15]
  • 24% of container vessels ordered in 2024 were designed with dual-fuel methanol engines, according to MPC Container Ships.[64]
  • 1,400 TEU was the capacity of a Delphis ammonia-fueled container newbuild under construction for expected delivery in 2026.[16]

Product lifecycle in the container shipping industry

  • 13.78 years was the overall average age of Euroseas’ container vessel fleet at the end of 2024.[16]
  • 17% of container ships were aged 0–4 years on 1 January 2024, according to UNCTAD.[65]
  • 15% of container ships were aged 5–9 years on 1 January 2024.[65]
  • 27% of container ships were aged 15–19 years on 1 January 2024.[65]
  • 12.6 years was the global merchant fleet’s average age by gross tonnage in 2024, according to UNCTAD.[25]

After-sales in the container shipping industry

  • 10,000 unique customers used Maersk digital tools between January and May 2023.[61]
  • 64,000 booking amendments were self-served by Maersk customers in North America by December 2024.[61]
  • 18,000 vessel schedules were accessed through Maersk digital tools between January and May 2023.[61]
  • 175,000 bookings were created by Maersk customers in North America through its digital platform by December 2024.[61]
  • 53,000 Maersk Spot bookings were made by North American customers by December 2024.[61]

Value proposition in the container shipping industry

  • 61.9% was Maersk’s schedule reliability in November 2024, the highest among carriers reported by Sea-Intelligence.[22]
  • 12% of container-fleet capacity was effectively removed from regular operations by Red Sea diversions in 2024.[16]
  • 54% was global vessel schedule reliability in June 2024, according to Australia’s competition regulator.[21]
  • 90% was the schedule-reliability target stated for the Gemini Cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.[22]
  • More than 700 container vessels were affected by Red Sea diversions in 2024.[16]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability in the container shipping industry

  • 11.39% of inspected cargo shipments had safety deficiencies in 2024.[66]
  • 11.1 grams of CO₂e per tonne-nautical mile was Maersk’s 2024 Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator for ocean operations.[61]
  • 576 containers were lost at sea in 2024 out of more than 250 million transported globally.[66]
  • 30% is the approximate reduction in shipping’s energy intensity since 2008, according to the World Shipping Council.[66]
  • 280 million containers are transported by liner shipping each year worldwide, according to the World Shipping Council’s industry facts page.[66]

ESG in the container shipping industry

  • 68,291,840 tonnes of CO₂e were MSC Cargo Division’s total gross greenhouse-gas emissions in 2024.[67]
  • 25% of companies assessed reached the Leader category in Lloyd’s Register’s shipping ESG benchmark.[68]
  • 35,884 thousand tonnes of CO₂e were Maersk’s 2023 scope 1 and scope 3 well-to-wake emissions from own container shipping operations.[69]
  • 74.7 out of 100 was the mean ESG score for container shipping in Lloyd’s Register’s 2026 benchmarking report.[68]
  • 27 of 48 assessed shipping companies scored significantly higher on governance than environmental performance in Lloyd’s Register’s ESG benchmark.[68]

Ethics in the container shipping industry

  • 1 conviction under anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws was reported by Hapag-Lloyd in 2024.[52]
  • 1,174 whistleblower reports were recorded by Maersk in 2025, a 24% increase from 2024.[61]
  • 130+ countries are identified by Maersk as locations in which it operates and exercises corporate citizenship activities.[61]
  • 67 critical-risk compliance spot checks were conducted by Maersk in 2025.[61]
  • 5 priority areas guide Maersk’s corporate citizenship activities: disaster relief, trade empowerment, ocean protection, education, and health and safety.[61]

CSR in the container shipping industry

  • 80% of international trade is transported by shipping, according to the World Shipping Council.[66]
  • 280 million containers are moved annually by liner shipping, connecting producers and consumers across global supply chains.[66]
  • 55.5 billion US dollars was CMA CGM Group’s global revenue in 2024.[70]

Carbon footprint in the container shipping industry

  • 46% was the increase in container-ship emissions on EU-related voyages between 2023 and 2024.[71]
  • 15.6 million tonnes of CO₂e were emitted by MSC on EU-related voyages in 2024.[71]
  • 8% was Maersk’s year-on-year increase in absolute greenhouse-gas emissions in 2024.[61]
  • 5.1 million tonnes of CO₂e were emitted by China COSCO Shipping on EU-related voyages in 2024.[71]
  • 8.29 million tonnes of CO₂e were emitted by CMA CGM on EU-related voyages in 2024.[71]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Global distribution scale is tracked through port throughput, trade growth projections, and regional handling shares. World container-port throughput reached 920 million TEU in 2024, and UNCTAD projects average annual containerized trade growth of 2.3% from 2026 to 2030.

Globalization in the container shipping industry

  • Approximately 237 million TEUs of containerized cargo were carried worldwide in 2025.[16]
  • The three main East-West container corridors grew 8.8% in 2024, led by East Asia–North America, East Asia–Europe and Europe–North America.[81]
  • 920 million TEUs were handled by container ports worldwide in 2024, representing 6.9% year-on-year growth.[82]
  • Containerized trade grew 1.4% globally in 2025, according to UN Trade and Development projections.[25]
  • Developing economies in Asia discharged 47% of global seaborne trade and loaded 32% in 2023.[25]

Supplier management in the container shipping industry

  • 21,305 suppliers had cooperative relationships with CMES Shipping by the end of 2024.[83]
  • CMES Shipping initiated a supplier evaluation and classification program in 2023 to support supply-chain stability and compliance.[83]

Distribution channels in the container shipping industry

  • Entities in Greece, China and Japan together held 41% of global ship-carrying capacity in 2025.[25]
  • Entities in Asia and Europe owned 93% of world ship-carrying capacity in 2025.[25]
  • International transport costs reached 8.1% of merchandise-trade value in 2021.[25]
  • Containerized cargo volumes increased 6.6% in 2024 after declining 1.9% in 2022 and remaining flat-to-negative in 2023.[16]
  • World container-port throughput reached 920 million TEUs in 2024, indicating the scale of ocean distribution infrastructure.[82]

Key questions about the Container Shipping Industry

What is the current scale of the container shipping market by ports and fleet capacity?
World container ports handled 920 million TEU in 2024. The global container-ship fleet stood at 6,033 vessels with 30.3 million TEU capacity in April 2025.
How fast is containerized trade expected to grow into the late 2020s?
UNCTAD forecasts containerized trade growth of 1.4% in 2025 and an average annual growth rate of 2.3% from 2026 to 2030.
Which companies lead the container shipping industry?
Mediterranean Shipping Company leads Gitnux's 2026 container shipping ranking with an Overall score of 9.7, with 21.5% of global operated capacity in October 2026. CMA CGM is the runner-up at 9.5, driven by 24.2 million TEUs transported in 2025 across more than 250 shipping lines.
What technology shifts are most visible in documentation, tracking, and analytics adoption?
Digital documentation is expanding and AI is moving from pilots into planning: 44% of executives used AI for transportation planning and optimization in 2025. Data visibility gains are also expected, with 49% expecting digitalization to improve data visibility in 2025.
How concentrated is the container shipping market among major operators?
The market is concentrated among a small group of global liner operators. Alphaliner ranked MSC first with 21.5% global operated capacity in October 2026, and the top five represented roughly two-thirds of active capacity.
Where does freight price volatility show up, and how is it tied to route disruptions?
Freight pricing is volatile rather than structurally stable, with Red Sea diversions increasing voyage lengths, fuel use, insurance costs and effective vessel demand. On the Shanghai–South America route, the average SCFI rate reached $9,026 per TEU in July 2024.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Container Shipping Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/container-shipping-industry-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Container Shipping Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/container-shipping-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Container Shipping Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/container-shipping-industry-statistics.

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