Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has reportedly placed another major order for 20 Megamax container ships of 24,000 TEU each at China’s Hengli Heavy Industries.
According to consultancy Linerlytica, the vessels have been booked at Hengli’s shipyard in Dalian and will add another 480,000 TEU of future capacity to MSC’s fleet.
The latest deal further expands what is already the largest containership orderbook in the industry.
Linerlytica said in its latest weekly market report that MSC’s programme for ships above 20,000 TEU at Hengli now covers 62 vessels.
The contract value, delivery schedule and propulsion specifications for the latest batch have not been disclosed.
MSC has built up a substantial orderbook at Hengli since the two companies signed a strategic cooperation agreement in 2024.
The carrier initially contracted ten newbuildings of 21,000 TEU and another ten vessels of 24,000 TEU.
Those ships were planned with dual-fuel LNG-capable propulsion systems.
MSC later returned to the yard with another order for six 22,000-TEU container ships.
The latest 20-vessel order adds another major block of capacity to an expansion programme that already far exceeds those of most competing carriers.
According to Alphaliner data cited at the end of September, MSC’s operating fleet stood at around 7.4 million TEU, representing approximately 21.5% of the global liner fleet.
A further 2.94 million TEU was already on order.
That means MSC’s combined operating fleet and orderbook had already exceeded 10 million TEU before taking the latest reported order into account.
The move comes amid another surge in global containership newbuilding activity.
Linerlytica estimates that the worldwide containership orderbook has now reached 16.2 million TEU, equivalent to around 46.5% of the existing fleet.
That is the highest level recorded since 2009.
Other major carriers are also continuing to expand.
South Korea’s HMM recently confirmed contracts worth around KRW 1.92 trillion, or approximately $1.44 billion, for eight dual-fuel LNG container ships of 13,000 TEU each.
Six of the vessels will be built by HD Hyundai Samho, while two will be constructed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2029.
HMM plans to deploy the vessels on its Far East – India – Mediterranean service.
The Korean carrier has also acquired four feeder container ships through resale agreements, including three vessels of 2,800 TEU and one vessel of 1,700 TEU.
MSC’s latest order once again highlights how aggressively the world’s largest liner operators are adding future capacity, even as the global containership orderbook has already climbed to a multi-year record.
