UK consulting firm Maritime Strategies International (MSI) recently released its latest shipowner ranking. This ranking is ordered by the deadweight tonnage of the currently operational fleet (excluding orders, offshore, or cruise assets) and is compared with the list from the same period last year.
Measured by deadweight tonnage, COSCO Shipping continues to be the world’s largest shipowner. As of August 31, its fleet size has slightly increased to 76.2 million deadweight tons. However, over the past year, the world’s largest liner operator, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), achieved the most remarkable leap: its operational fleet significantly expanded from 35.5 million deadweight tons to 44.5 million deadweight tons, surpassing Bocom Leasing and jumping to second place in the ranking.
MSC achieved the largest fleet expansion in the past year. Meanwhile, several Chinese leasing giants saw their rankings decline due to a large number of newbuilding orders not being converted into operational ships in time. Although Bocom Leasing’s fleet size grew to 41.4 million deadweight tons, it was still pushed down to third place. China Merchants Group and Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) both entered the top five, with both companies experiencing a slight increase in capacity.
One of the most significant changes was the rise of Belgian shipping company CMB.TECH, which debuted on the list at eighth place with 22.6 million deadweight tons, primarily due to its acquisition of the European dry bulk owner Golden Ocean Group. German liner giant Hapag-Lloyd, with its expanded container fleet, entered the top 25 for the first time with 12.6 million deadweight tons. Taiwan province of China’s Evergreen Marine also saw its ranking rise, moving from 25th last year to 19th place with 13.5 million deadweight tons.
Other companies with rising rankings include Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Nissen Kaiun, as well as Saudi Arabia’s Bahri. South Korea’s Pan Ocean, HMM, and Singapore’s Berge Bulk all saw their fleet sizes increase by over 1 million deadweight tons in the past year.
Image source: Maritime Strategies International (MSI)
In contrast, Japan’s Shoei Kisen and Iran’s National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) both fell out of the top 20. Among them, NITC dropped from 19th to 25th place due to the impact of sanctions and asset disposals.
ICBC Leasing’s ranking fell from seventh to tenth place, with its fleet size shrinking from 24.3 million deadweight tons to 19.9 million deadweight tons. CDB Leasing’s ranking also declined.
Furthermore, Frontline, controlled by Norwegian shipping magnate John Fredriksen, Greece’s Angelicoussis Group, Japan’s K-Line, the UK’s Zodiac Maritime, China VLCC, and others experienced varying degrees of ranking declines.
Overall, China continues to lead the global shipping industry. Five Chinese companies—COSCO Shipping, China Merchants Group, ICBC Leasing, CDB Leasing, and China VLCC—are all among the world’s top 15 shipowners. Japan maintains significant influence through companies like Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K-Line), and Nissen Kaiun. At the same time, the Greek shipping community remains prominent, with many established shipowners continuing to be active at the industry’s forefront.
