The global container ship orderbook has reached unprecedented levels, with major liner operators like MSC, COSCO Shipping Holdings, and CMA CGM leading the charge in placing newbuilding orders.
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) continues to dominate orderbooks, committing approximately USD 7 billion this year alone.
MSC has placed orders for up to 32 ultra-large container ships, including 20 LNG dual-fuel vessels with capacities of 21,000- 22,000 TEU valued at USD 4.4 billion.
These include 10 additional 22,000 TEU, ships ordered from Hengli Heavy Industry, set for delivery in 2029, and another 10 vessels from Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard, with deliveries planned from 2028 to 2029.
Currently, MSC holds 105 of the 231 global orders for ships above 17,000 TEU, far exceeding competitors like CMA CGM (54 units) and Maersk (24 units).
COSCO Shipping Holdings recently announced orders for 18 ships, including 12 LNG dual-fuel 22,000 TEU vessels from Jiangnan Shipyard, set for delivery between 2028 and 2030.
Additionally, the company has ordered six 3,200 TEU wide-beam ships from Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, with deliveries scheduled for 2028-2029.
CMA CGM has placed an order for six 3,100 TEU container ships at China Merchants Shipping (Weihai) Shipyard.
Meanwhile, Turkish shipowner Bayraktar Shipping ordered 2+2 units of 1,800 TEU ships at Qingshan Shipyard, and Peter Dohle added two 14,000 TEU neoPanamax container ships to its orderbook.
According to Alphaliner, MSC now has 166 vessels on order, representing 39.7% of its existing capacity.
CMA CGM follows closely with 164 vessels (39.9%), while Maersk has 88 ships on order (25.0%). Other operators like Hapag-Lloyd and ONE hold orderbooks amounting to 21.2% and 27.3% of their fleets, respectively.
Regional players are also making bold moves, with Thailand’s Regional Container Lines (RCL) leading with an orderbook equivalent to 162.1% of its current fleet capacity.
These investments reflect a broad industry effort to prepare for anticipated growth in global trade.
MSC Announces Partial Resumption of Red Sea and Suez Canal Transits, with Five Flagship Vessels Leading the Return
Mediterranean Shipping Company has announced a partial resumption of services through the Suez Canal and Red Sea on a select number of east-west trade lanes, following a comprehensive assessment of the latest security and operational conditions in the region.
The initial phase of the return encompasses three major trade corridors – Asia to Mediterranean, Asia to Northern Europe, and India to Mediterranean – across five voyages representing a combined capacity exceeding 90,000 TEU.
The five designated sailings are as follows: the MSC MICHEL CAPPELLINI (capacity approximately 24,000 TEU), operating voyage GJ632E on the Asia-Mediterranean Jade service eastbound, departing Abu Qir, Egypt on 24 August; the MSC JOSEFINA (capacity approximately 16,000 TEU).
operating voyage GA630E on the Asia-Northern Europe Albatros service eastbound, departing Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 24 August; the MSC BERYL (capacity approximately 12,000 TEU), operating voyage IS632A on the India-Mediterranean Himalaya service westbound, scheduled to depart Vizhinjam, India on 31 August; the MSC ANNA (capacity approximately 19,000 TEU), operating voyage GT629 W on the Asia-Mediterranean Tiger service westbound, departing Singapore on 24 August; and the MSC TINA (capacity approximately 19,000 TEU), operating voyage GT632E on the Asia-Mediterranean Tiger service eastbound, departing Mersin, Turkey on 20 August.
MSC has confirmed that booking confirmations and online schedule updates for the affected voyages will be released on a rolling basis.
The carrier has simultaneously maintained contingency provisions, acknowledging that individual sailings may be subject to short-notice adjustment should the security situation in the Red Sea deteriorate, with a reversion to Cape of Good Hope routing as a contingency measure.
According to data disclosed by Linerlytica, MSC has already conducted at least seven darktransit passages through the Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait since late July – vessels including the MSC Amelia and MSC Oliver among them- operating with AIS signals disabled and proceeding primarily in the eastbound direction as part of an ongoing operational testing programme.
Other major carriers are advancing their own return strategies in parallel. Maersk has already redirected more than 30 percent of its Asia-Europe cargo previously routed via the Cape of Good Hope back through the Suez Canal; Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM are likewise increasing transit frequency or preparing further commitments to the route.
Transit data for the period from 20 July to 16 August recorded 1,088 Suez Canal passages – the highest level since January 2024 – though total throughput remains 41 percent below pre-Red Sea crisis levels.
Industry observers note that a further stabilisation of the security environment would accelerate the return of additional carriers and services to the Suez Canal corridor, progressively alleviating the capacity constraints that have accumulated as a consequence of extended Cape of Good Hope diversions and port congestion.
Each step toward normalisation on this critical artery represents not merely a routing adjustment, but a meaningful recalibration of global container supply chains.
Port of Colombo handles 4.44 Germany's se million TEUS in H1 2026
The Port of Colombo handled 4.44 million TEUS in the first half of 2026, an 11.9 percent year-on-year (YoY) increase, according to the latest Alphaliner figures.
The performance has moved Colombo from 26th place globally at the end of 2025 to 20th in the first half of 2026 Colombo handled 4.44 million TEUS in the six months to June, compared with 3.97 million TEUS in the same period of 2025, an increase of 471,981 TEUS. The figures follow a record 2025, when the port handled approximately 8.3 million TEUS.
Transshipment continues to account for the majority of Colombo’s throughput, reflecting its role connecting mainline and feeder networks across East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
Between January and April 2026, the port handled 2.91 million TEUs, up 13.9 percent on the same period in 2025.
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority said it is pursuing further investment in container handling and logistics infrastructure, with potential investment of up to $2 billion over the next one to three years, including expansion projects and public-private partnerships.
Other ports across the northern Indian Ocean are also investing in new infrastructure as regional competition for transshipment volumes builds.
Ocean Network Express Launches Two New Weekly Services
Ocean Network Express (ONE), one of the world’s largest container shipping lines with a fleet serving more than 120 countries, today announced the launch of two new weekly services connecting India and the Middle East to East Africa: the India Middle East Mombasa (IMM) service and the India Middle East Dar Es Salaam (IMD) service. Both services strengthen ONE’s regional portfolio and expand reliable, direct connectivity to two of East Africa’s principal gateway ports.
The new services address growing trade demand between the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and East Africa. By adding dedicated weekly capacity on these lanes, ONE gives cargo owners greater schedule reliability, optimized transit times, and diverse routing options for goods moving into the Mombasa and Dar Es Salaam markets.
The IMM service will operate a weekly rotation of Nhava Sheva – Mundra – Mombasa.
The effective vessel is the Seatrade Peru, with the first arrival at Nhava Sheva scheduled for September 22,2026.
The IMD service will operate a weekly rotation of Nhava Sheva – Mundra – Dar Es Salaam. The effective vessel is the HMM Cebu, with the first arrival at Nhava Sheva scheduled for September 23,2026.
Together, the IMM and IMD services position ONE to serve shippers across retail, manufacturing, and industrial sectors with dependable transit schedules and predictable weekly departures from two major Indian load ports. The consistent frequency supports tighter inventory planning, stronger delivery commitments, and improved supply chain visibility for cargo owners managing high-volume flows into East Africa.
These launches reinforce ONE’s ongoing commitment to expanding its global network and delivering secure, efficient, and adaptable shipping solutions.
The two new weekly services advance a broader strategy to meet evolving trade demand and connect key growth markets across the Indian Ocean region.
Bremen and Bremerhaven Post 5.7% Container Growth in First Half of 2026
The twin ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven, together forming Germany’s second-largest seaport complex by cargo volume, handled approximately 2.6 million TEU in the first half of 2026, a 5.7% increase over the same period a year earlier, according to figures released by port management company bremenports on 21 August.
Total seaborne cargo throughput across the two locations rose 5.9% year-on-year to 34.5 million tonnes, extending a period of steady growth for the northern German ports.
Bremerhaven accounted for the largest share of the volume, handling approximately 29.2 million tonnes, an increase of 5.3% ” compared with the first half of 2025.
Bremen’s city ports recorded the sharper relative gain, moving around 5.3 million tonnes, up 9.3% year-on-year.
General cargo throughput, the ports’ core segment, climbed 5.4% to 30.2 million tonnes. Within that category, non-containerised general cargo advanced 9.8% to 3.5 million tonnes.
Bulk cargo grew 9.6% to 4.3 million tonnes, while vehicle throughput increased 2.4% to approximately 614,000 units.
Robert Howe, Managing Director of bremenports, credited the results to strength across the ports’ principal business lines.
“The figures for the first half of the year show that the ports. Of Bremen and Bremerhaven are well positioned even in a challenging market environment,” he said.
“Throughput is growing in key areas, particularly in container traffic.”
The performance stands in contrast to that of the Port of Hamburg, Germany’s largest port, which reported a 3.1% year-on- year decline in total throughput to 56.1 million tonnes over the same period.
The divergence underscores a widening gap between the country’s leading container gateways as they navigate shifting trade conditions.
The first-half figures reinforce the position of Bremen and Bremerhaven as a critical node in Germany’s maritime trade network, with container handling emerging as the clearest driver of the ports’ continued expansion.