MSC Boasts Largest Capacity for Reefer Containers

MSC has solidified its position as the leader in refrigerated container capacity, highlighting its dominance in the global shipping industry as the largest liner operator.

According to a recent report by Alphaliner, MSC's fleet has seen a significant growth of nearly 20% over the last year. The company now boasts 815 vessels equipped with a total of 583,700 reefer plugs, marking an impressive increase of almost 18% in its capacity to handle refrigerated cargo.

In comparison, Ocean Network Express (ONE) experienced the most considerable expansion in reefer plug capacity, with a 23% increase. This pan-Japanese company also saw a 17.5% growth in its overall fleet size.

On the other hand, South Korea's HMM was the only major liner operator to witness a decrease in its reefer capacity, with a slight reduction of just over 1%, paralleled by a reduction in its fleet size by more than 2% following the return of some chartered vessels.

The correlation between a carrier's total fleet capacity and its ranking in terms of reefer plug capacity is strong, with ZIM Line being a notable outlier. Although it ranks tenth in total fleet capacity, ZIM stands out as the eighth-largest in reefer plug capacity, with the ability to allocate over 22% of its fleet for refrigerated cargo.

The data from Alphaliner further reveals that European carriers tend to dedicate a higher portion of their capacity to refrigerated cargo compared to their Asian counterparts. The proportion of available slots for reefer containers ranges from 20% for MSC to 23% for Maersk Line.

CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd also showcase substantial allocations with 22.5% and 21.2%, respectively. This is in contrast to Asian carriers, where the range falls between 15.7% and 17.5%, with ONE at the higher end and HMM at the lower end of the spectrum.