French line CMA CGM has followed in the footsteps of its Swiss counterpart, MSC, by surpassing Danish competitor Maersk in the order book stakes, becoming the second-biggest container line by order of available capacity.
This has emerged from the Marseille-run carrier’s current trajectory as the most aggressive vessel acquirer of the year so far.
According to the latest figures from Alphaliner, CMA CGM’s fleet – including vessels currently on order – now stands at 5.42 million slots, which is approximately 140 000 TEU more than Maersk.
However, Mediterranean Shipping Company remains firmly in the lead, boasting a fleet, including orders, totalling 8.47 million slots – larger than the fleets of CMA CGM and Maersk combined.
Maersk, though, seems to have shifted its fleet expansion strategy to net-zero newbuilds in anticipation of stricter decarbonisation measures by the International Maritime Organization.
Maersk has opted to maintain a fleet within the 4 million to 4.4 million TEU range – a strategy originally devised by former CEO Soren Skou and continued by his successor, Vincent Clerc. This approach resulted in MSC overtaking Maersk to become the world’s largest carrier at the beginning of 2021.
In addition to being the leading buyer of second-hand container ships in the early months of 2025, CMA CGM has been actively placing orders for new vessels.
Reports earlier this week revealed that the company had commissioned another series of container ship newbuilds in China, selecting a dozen liquefied natural gas (LNG) duel-fuel 18 000-TEU ships from CSSC Jiangnan Shipyard.
This follows its second major order of the year, having previously secured a $2.6 billion contract for twelve additional LNG dual-fuel newbuilds of the same capacity from Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Further down the Alphaliner rankings, there have also been notable shifts.
When factoring in ships on order, Taiwan’s Evergreen has now surpassed Japan’s Ocean Network Express (ONE) to claim sixth place.
Additionally, Wan Hai, another Taiwanese company, has broken into the top 10, overtaking its compatriot, Yang Ming.
