Doubled Market Share for Non-Alliance Liners

The presence of independent shipping lines in the Asia-Europe trade route has seen a significant increase, with their market share doubling within a single year.

Research from Alphaliner reveals the rise of smaller carriers stepping in to fill the void left by major shipping companies exiting Russian services. 

A notable expansion has been observed among carriers like New New Shipping, OVP Shipping, Safetrans, FESCO, Akkon, and CStar, which have collectively doubled the non-alliance liner presence in this sector over the last year. The volume of cargo transported by these operators on the trade lane, outside the major three shipping alliances, has surged from 154,600 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) to 308,300 TEU, now representing approximately 5% of the total market share on this route. This growth includes the 1.2% market share owned by ZIM, another carrier experiencing rapid expansion.

SeaLead Shipping is another company showing remarkable growth, according to Alphaliner. It now holds a 1% market share after increasing its Asia-Med fleet capacity by 40.6% year-on-year to 61,400 TEU.

In addition, alliance members have independently operated an additional 344,000 TEU through ad hoc sailings or standalone services, further contributing to the dynamic landscape of the Asia-Europe trade lane.