According to theloadstar.com, Maersk has overtaken Cosco Shipping to become the largest container shipping line in the intra-Asia market by deployed capacity, as of Alphaliner’s mid-August 2026 analysis.
Intra-Asia fleet expands amid shifting rankings
The intra-Asia container trade’s deployed capacity grew 6.2% year on year to just below 2.6 million teu, slightly outpacing global fleet growth of more than 5%. Alphaliner’s survey, recorded on 15 August, covered liner services and ad-hoc sailings from the Russian Far East to Myanmar. More than 80 active carriers operate in the trade, though regional and feeder operators — accounting for 37% of deployed capacity — operate smaller vessels averaging 1,338 teu per ship. In contrast, mainline operators control over 63% of capacity despite fewer vessels, thanks to larger average sizes: 2,699 teu per vessel.
Maersk’s hub-and-spoke advantage lifts capacity
Maersk operated 108 vessels but held the largest average ship size in the ranking at 3,176 teu, enabling its total deployed capacity to rise above 340,000 teu. This growth was supported by additional Asian shuttle services feeding the Gemini Cooperation’s east-west loops under its ‘hub-and-spoke’ model. Cosco Shipping, including OOCL, NGS, Panasia and Co Heung, slipped to second place. Its capacity rose by only about 500 teu year on year, while its average vessel size fell by approximately 6%, despite deploying more than 120 vessels.
Growth and contraction across top carriers
CMA CGM was the second-largest capacity gainer, adding around 15,000 teu — driven largely by three new services: the Korea-China-Indonesia-Vietnam ‘KI8’, China-Thailand ‘NT8’, and Straits-Malaysia-Myanmar-Indonesia ‘BY8’. Gold Star Line (GSL) recorded the largest percentage increase among the 20 biggest carriers, expanding 72% — or about 11,000 teu — to climb from 26th to 19th. Samudera increased capacity by 26%, Shanghai Jin Jiang Shipping (including Hasco) grew 21%, and Interasia Lines entered the top 20 after a 20% increase. Meanwhile, TS Lines, Hapag-Lloyd, and Sinokor posted the largest reductions: Hapag-Lloyd cut almost 7,000 teu, and Sinokor reduced capacity by around 6,000 teu after withdrawing from several loops.
Fleet age and structural composition
The intra-Asia fleet’s teu-weighted average age remained stable at about 12 years. Among the top 20, TS Lines retained the youngest fleet at six years, while MSC remained the oldest at 21 years. SITC, the leading regional operator, illustrates the scale disparity: it operates 109 ships but commands only 157,000 teu — enough to rank sixth overall — reflecting its focus on direct services to smaller and niche Asian ports.
“There was already a razor-thin spread between number one and two last year,” stated Alphaliner.
Source: The Loadstar
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
