French shipping company CMA CGM is set to become the second-largest ocean carrier in the world. The Marseille-based shipping line is poised to surpass Maersk, as CMA CGM’s total TEU capacity, including its existing fleet and orderbook, now exceeds that of its Danish rival.
According to Alphaliner, the gap between the two companies is currently around 660,000 TEUs. However, Rodolphe Saadé’s aggressive vessel acquisition strategy in 2024 has boosted CMA CGM’s orderbook to 1.54 million TEUs, which represents 40% of the company’s existing fleet. In comparison, Maersk has placed orders for 742,000 TEUs, or 16% of its current fleet. As the difference in orderbooks approaches 800,000 TEUs, it indicates that with the delivery of the current orders, CMA CGM will surpass Maersk in TEU capacity.
CMA CGM’s intense vessel acquisition activity was highlighted in the following report by Container News, which revealed that the French firm had acquired several secondhand boxships from Belgian and Greek ship owners.
CMA CGM purchases new second-hand boxships
In other significant ranking shifts, when combining the existing fleet and orderbook, Taiwanese major ocean carrier Evergreen has aggressively challenged and surpassed Japanese liner operator Ocean Network Express (ONE).
Meanwhile, Evergreen’s compatriot Wan Hai Lines has made a huge leap into the top-10 ocean carriers, pushing its fellow Taiwanese competitor Yang Ming out of the list and surpassing the current ninth-largest container line, ZIM, as well.
