MSC's slot capacity closes in on Maersk's, says Alphaliner

THE world's biggest container lines remain the same in new Alphaliner rankings, but the capacity of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has been closing in on the global leader Maersk Line in the first half of the year.

Despite the change, Copenhagen's Maersk, Geneva's MSC and Marseilles-based CMA CGM are still No 1, 2 and 3 in container line rankings, according to the Paris based maritime consultants Alphaliner.

But MSC slots have shot up, increasing its fleet by 196,000 TEU to 1.7 million TEU, approaching Maersk's two million TEU mark. Statistics also show that Evergreen Line fell from fifth to sixth place, with its capacity increasing only seven per cent.

One gainer was Singapore's Neptune Orient Lines'container unit APL, which expanded its fleet 21 per cent and Hapag Lloyd was up 25 per cent. Among the world's top 20, Tokyo's NYK's fleet fell six per cent, largely because of scrapping. CSAV grew the most, rising 51 per cent.

Overall, the global containership fleet grew 15.3 per cent to 13.3 million TEU because of fresh deliveries totalling 740,000 TEU and bringing back into service 1.2 million TEU of idle tonnage, but 110,000 TEU also disappeared into the scrap yards.