MSC Reaches 1,000 Ships as Growth Milestone Achieved

Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) has reached a major milestone in its rapid expansion, becoming the first container shipping company to operate a fleet of 1,000 vessels, according to Asian shipping consultancy Linerlytica.

The achievement was marked this month with the delivery of the 11,480 teu vessel MSC Migsan, built at Zhoushan Changhong shipyard in China. This addition pushed MSC’s fleet into four-digit territory, a first for the global container shipping industry.

MSC, a privately owned company and the largest container carrier in the world, is also a significant player in the cruise sector. The company confirmed yesterday that founder Gianluigi Aponte has officially transferred ownership of the business to his children, Diego and Alexa.

“Passing ownership to my children is not only a reflection of their dedication and achievements, but also a continuation of our family’s centuries-long maritime heritage,” Aponte said.

Aponte, originally from Naples and now 85 years old, established MSC in 1970. The company overtook Maersk five years ago to become the world’s largest container line. Today, MSC’s fleet is 57% larger than that of its closest competitor. With a total capacity of 7.3 million teu, MSC’s fleet is now roughly equal to the combined capacity of Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express, Evergreen, and HMM.

Hua Joo Tan, co-founder of Linerlytica, highlighted the timing behind MSC’s expansion.

“What is remarkable about MSC’s achievement is the uncanny timing of its growth since 2020 that coincided with the biggest bull run that the container shipping market has ever seen. And it was done almost entirely through organic growth without any large scale acquisitions,” he told Splash.

The Aponte family, which owns MSC, is consistently ranked among the wealthiest in Switzerland and is listed within the top 50 on the Forbes billionaires index.