The shipping group AP Møller-Maersk has consolidated as the operator with the largest expansion in capacity and market share within the intra-European container services segment over the last twelve months. In a market that has barely grown by 1.9 % in terms of tonnage — about 20,000 TEUs more than in February 2025 —, the shipping company led by Vincent Clerc has increased its share from 8.5 % to 12.1 %, which translates to moving from 101,500 to 146,500 TEUs of deployed capacity, according to data from maritime intelligence consultant Alphaliner.
This jump of three and a half percentage points is materialized in the incorporation of 12 container ships into its intra-European operations, reaching a total of 49 active vessels, while the average size of its ships has increased from 2,742 to 2,989 TEUs. The source of this expansion lies, according to Alphaliner, in the deployment of the hub and spoke logistics model articulated around the Gemini Cooperation, the operational alliance that Maersk has maintained with the German Hapag-Lloyd since last year. Significantly, while the Danish shipping company has gained presence on European routes, its German partner has reduced its capacity in this same market during the same period.
Despite the remarkable registered growth, Maersk continues to occupy the third position in the ranking of intra-European operators by deployed capacity, still at a considerable distance from the leader. MSC, the shipping company based in Geneva controlled by the Aponte family, leads the ranking with a share of 30.6 %, nearly two points above the 28.8 % it recorded a year ago. The maritime consultant attributes this advance to the incorporation of nine new services, two of which are operated with up to ten ships ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 TEUs. Among the new routes launched by MSC is a connection between the Baltic, Northern Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, and Morocco, and a shuttle service between Italy and southern Turkey.
In second place is CMA CGM, which has also gained ground in the intra-European market by rising from 17.3 % market share in 2025 to the current 19.2 %. The progression of the French shipping group confirms a trend of concentration at the top of the table, where the three largest global operators of regular lines together account for more than 60 % of the deployed capacity on routes within Europe.
Alphaliner also highlights the rise of the Turkish Akkon Lines, which has climbed three positions in the ranking to reach the tenth place. The Istanbul firm has increased its capacity by 29 %, adding 3,600 TEUs to its offering through the launch of new services between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean and at the western Mediterranean ports. Its share has risen from 1 % to 1.3 %, a modest advance in absolute terms but enough to overtake competitors that have reduced their presence in the region.
At the opposite end, Hapag-Lloyd and Arkas Line are among the operators that have lost the most capacity in the intra-European market. The German shipping company has withdrawn the 15,200 TEUs it independently offered on intra-Mediterranean routes and has switched to operate in this area exclusively through slot exchange agreements, particularly with Maersk and within the framework of the Gemini Cooperation. Its capacity share has contracted from 2.8 % to 1.3 % in one year, a reduction that reflects the reconfiguration of its operational strategy in Europe following the launch of the alliance with its Danish partner.
Arkas Line, including its subsidiary EMES, has also experienced a significant setback, with a drop in its share from 4.3 % to 2.7 %. According to Alphaliner, the Turkish shipping company has closed its Blue Med service, which connected both ends of the Mediterranean to Morocco, and has relocated its five container ships — ranging from 1,450 to 2,550 TEUs — to its MAS service, which is more recently established and operates between West Africa and the Mediterranean. This decision represents a retreat for Arkas in intra-Mediterranean traffic in favor of routes linked to the African continent.
Another significant decline is that of the Taiwanese Yang Ming, which has disappeared from the top-20 intra-European operators after years of presence in the ranking. The maritime consultant indicates that the shipping company has withdrawn 75 % of its capacity in this market during the last twelve months, primarily as a result of the termination of services it operated jointly with ONE and Evergreen between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. The freed vessels have likely been redistributed to routes operating in Asia.
At a global scale, container service capacity in Europe has recorded moderate growth of 1.9 % since February 2025, an increase that responds more to a shift towards larger vessels — averaging 1,789 TEUs compared to 1,732 TEUs previously — than to a significant fleet expansion, which has remained relatively stable around 677 vessels. This dynamic points to a trend of rationalization of supply in the intra-European market, where operators seek to gain efficiency by employing larger vessels instead of multiplying the number of units in service.