MSC strengthened its position as the world’s largest container carrier in 2025, carrying 30 million TEU, an 11.1 per cent increase from 27 million TEU a year earlier, according to DynaLiners. The Geneva-based carrier widened its lead over its closest rivals as global container volumes continued to grow.
COSCO Shipping remained second with 27.435 million TEU, up 5.8 per cent, while Maersk ranked third with 25.884 million TEU, a 4.9 per cent increase. MSC’s lead over COSCO expanded from about 1.06 million TEU in 2024 to 2.57 million TEU in 2025, while its advantage over Maersk widened to 4.12 million TEU from 2.32 million TEU.
CMA CGM retained fourth place with 24.24 million TEU, followed by Hapag-Lloyd with 13.486 million TEU, up 8.2 per cent. Among the 12 carriers tracked by DynaLiners, PIL recorded the fastest growth, with volumes rising 16.7 per cent to 2.58 million TEU. Combined volumes for the 12 leading carriers reached 164.147 million TEU, up 5.2 per cent from 2024, while estimated worldwide liner carryings rose 4.1 per cent to 194.086 million TEU.
MSC also strengthened its position among the world’s largest container terminal operators, ranking fifth after handling 51.1 million TEU, a 15 per cent increase from 44.4 million TEU in 2024. APM Terminals moved into third place in the terminal operator ranking, handling 59.3 million TEU, up 11 per cent, while PSA retained the top spot with 69.9 million TEU.
China Merchants Port ranked second with 66 million TEU. Overall, the world’s top 10 terminal operator groups handled 441.1 million TEU in 2025, a 9 per cent increase, accounting for an estimated 44 per cent of global container port throughput. The figures underline MSC’s continued expansion across both container shipping and terminal operations, reinforcing its position as one of the most influential players in the global maritime industry.