Top 10 shipping lines around the world
As a majority of the world’s goods continue to move by sea even today, the role played by shipping lines in global trade cannot be overlooked. Shipping containers move 95% of the worldwide cargo. It is these companies that have kept the international supply chains running for the longest time and have stood the test of time.
Today, several players have emerged in this space, with multiple USPs, offering reliable and efficient service to shippers across the world. In light of ever-proliferating options to choose from, we have put together a list of some of the most reliable, well-known shipping lines in the world.
1. A.P. MOLLER-MAERSK GROUP
Founded: 1904
HQ: Copenhagen, Denmark
Official website: www.maersk.com
The Danish business conglomerate, the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, is the largest vessel and container ship operator in the world. Maersk Line, APM Terminals, and Maersk Container Industries are its various core subsidiaries and are renowned for their transportation and logistics services. Their other subsidiaries include Maersk Supply Services, Maersk Oil, Maersk Drilling, and Maersk Tankers. They are well-known for their contribution to the energy sector.
The company operates in over 130 countries and annually manages to ship around $675 billion worth of goods. The company owns and operates a fleet of five Maersk Triple E-class container ships. Each one of these ships has the capacity to carry over 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
Track your Maersk containers in real-time for free here.
2. YANG MING MARINE TRANSPORT CORPORATION
Founded: 1972
HQ: Taiwan
Official website: www.yangming.com
Yang Ming Transport Corporation offers global shipping and logistics services. Kuang Ming Shipping Corporation, Jing Ming Transport Company, and Yes Logistics Corporation are the subsidiaries of the company.
Yang Ming’s fleet includes 101 vessels with an operating capacity of 7.74 million deadweight tonnage. The company operates in over 70 nations and has more than 170 service points. Alongside, the shipping line also has a logistics unit and container terminals located in the Netherlands, Taiwan, Belgium, and the United States.
Track your Yang Min containers in real-time for free here.
3. CHINA COSCO
Founded: 1961
HQ: Beijing, People’s Republic of China
Official website: http://en.coscocs.com/
Government-owned shipping and logistics supplier company of the People’s Republic of China, China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO Group) is one of the largest shipping lines company. Its subsidiaries consist of Shanghai Pan Asia Shipping, New Golden Sea, COSCO Shipping Co Ltd, OOCL, and Coheung.
The group owns around 10,000 ships and over 360 dry bulk vessels. The COSCO fleet makes a stop annually at more than a thousand ports around the world. The company is China’s largest dry bulk carrier and liner carrier. It has also made its place in the international market as one of the most prominent dry bulk shipping lines operator.
Track your containers with COSCO in real-time for free here.
4. CMA CGM GROUP
Founded: 1978
HQ: Marseille, France
Official website: www.cmacgm.com
CMA CGM Group offers a wide range of international logistics and transportation services. The company offers services that consist of vessel and container fleet management, logistics, cargo cruises, freight delivery, etc.
CMA CGM Group offers service at over 420 commercial ports with a fleet of 509 vessels that operates on more than 200 shipping lines. Although the group is based in France, it has its presence in 160 companies through 755 agencies and 750 warehouses.
Track your CMA CGM containers in real-time for free here.
5. MEDITERRANEAN SHIPPING COMPANY S.A. (MSC)
Founded: 1970
HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
Official website: www.msc.com
Privately owned Mediterranean Shipping Company is an international provider of shipping and logistics solutions. MSC facilitates global trade between major economies and emerging markets across the world. The company operates a fleet of over 500 container vessels and has a capacity of about 3 million TEU.
The company stops at around 500 commercial ports on 200 trade routes. It’s known for delivering dry cargo as well as reefer cargo. Moreover, MSC offers intermodal transportation services that consist of a factory to consumer, door to door, and a combination of several other transport services.
Track your MSC containers in real-time for free here.
6. ONE (OCEAN NETWORK EXPRESS)
Founded: 2017
HQ: Singapore
Official website: www.one-line.com
Ocean Network Express (ONE) is a joint venture between Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and K-Line. Although ONE is a relatively young company, it has a fleet of 240 container vessels and 31 container ships with a capacity of 20,000 TEU each. The company has over 14,000 reefer containers.
With international headquarters in Singapore, the company has regional offices in Sao Paulo, Richmond, Hong Kong, and London. Besides, it has its presence in about 90 countries.
Track your ONE containers in real-time for free here.
7. EVERGREEN MARINE CORPORATION
Founded: 1968
HQ: Taoyuan City, Taiwan
Official website: www.evergreen-marine.com
The Evergreen Marine Corporation is a Taiwan-based shipping lines and container transportation company. The Group’s divisions consist of Uniglory Marine Corporation, Italia Marittima S.p. A.
and Evergreen UK Ltd.
The company is mostly focused on trade routes between the Far East and countries in the southern hemisphere. The company also operates between Asia and the Middle East and Europe and the east coast of North America.
The shipping line’s fleet includes over 200 container ships, and the company calls on 240 commercial ports across the world.
Track your Evergreen containers in real-time for free here.
8. HAPAG-LLOYD
Founded: 1970
HQ: Hamburg, Germany
Official website: www.hapag-lloyd.com
Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd is the country’s largest ocean liner and has five regional headquarters in Valparaiso, Piscataway, Singapore, and Hamburg. The company has a massive network with 399 offices spread across 128 countries and a capacity of about 1.7 million TEU.
The shipping line offers a total of 118 liner services across the world along with its modern reefer container fleet of 237 ships. Its ships make a stop at 600 ports and are known to provide reliable international trade connections. The company is an ocean carrier for Middle-East, Latin America, Intra-America, and Transatlantic trades as well.
Track your Hapag Lloyd containers in real-time for free here.
9. PIL (PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL LINES)
Founded: 1967
HQ: Singapore
Official website: www.pilship.com
International shipping company Pacific International Lines (PIL) focuses majorly on container shipping. The company’s fleet consists of 153 ships that serve over 500 locations spread around the world.
The shipping line’s primary routes are between Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Besides, it makes a stop at the Black Sea, North America, Australia, India, and New Zealand.
Over and above shipping line service, PIL provides supply chain management, container manufacturing, logistics management, and ship recycling solutions as well.
10. HYUNDAI MERCHANT MARINE
Founded: 1976
HQ: Seoul, South Korea
Official website: www.hmm21.com
Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) is a Korea-based international shipping lines company. The line has a fleet of more than 130 vessels and covers about 50 sea routes across 100 ports around the world.
Moreover, HMM also offers its clients customized supply chain solutions for various cargo types such as dry, refrigerated, and specialized cargo. In addition to a shipping fleet, the company also has an international network of railroads, trucks, terminals, and offices which provide various services related to logistics.
And the list can go on…
It’s important to note that this list is not exhaustive by any means and that several more companies are worth exploring. All that matters is that you, as a shipper, find the right shipping line partner for your business and get efficient service at reasonable rates.
If you would like to know how GoComet’s innovative supply chain solutions can help you drive savings, optimize your operations and build agility into your business, contact us here today!
