MSC Steps Up Secondhand Ship Buying to Expand Fleet

Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) has completed another active period in the secondhand container ship market, highlighting the liner operator’s ongoing efforts to grow its fleet.

Market sources indicate that the Geneva-based carrier purchased at least eight container vessels in December alone, with additional transactions potentially still to be disclosed. Alphaliner said it is aware of further deals that have not yet been fully confirmed.

One of the notable acquisitions is a 14,700 teu newbuilding resale from BAL Container Line, reportedly valued at about $170 million. The vessel is currently under construction at China’s Jiangnan Shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026. This marks the third such resale MSC has acquired from BAL, following two similar purchases in July 2024. Alphaliner added that a fourth vessel from the same series could also be acquired by MSC, although this has not been officially confirmed.

MSC has also been active in the traditional panamax sector, acquiring five ships in this size range. These include the 5,028 teu Antwerp Bridge, the 4,738 teu sister vessels Beijing Bridge and Grace Bridge, as well as the 2,754 teu PortKlangVoyager, purchased from Sinokor. The Antwerp Bridge was built in 2005 by Hyundai Heavy Industries and was originally delivered as Westerbrook to Germany’s NOO Reederei H. Peterson.

Additional purchases include the 4,256 teu Lisa from XT Shipping, backed by Idan Ofer, the similarly sized 4,253 teu Ts Ningbo from TS Lines, and the 2,824 teu As Clementina from MPC Container Ships.

MSC’s latest buying activity comes during another year of significant fleet expansion. Alphaliner data shows the carrier added 831,400 teu of capacity in 2025, representing 39 percent of the total growth recorded by the world’s 12 largest container lines. MSC’s fleet increased by 11.7 percent over the year, widening its lead over second-ranked Maersk to roughly 2.5 million teu, compared with a gap of 1.9 million teu a year earlier.

Although newbuilding deliveries remained the primary driver of growth, with MSC taking delivery of 54 new vessels totaling nearly 700,000 teu, continued secondhand acquisitions have played an important supporting role in maintaining the Aponte family-controlled group’s expansion strategy.