GENEVA's Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has replaced Maersk Line as the world's biggest container shipping company, reports London's Containerisation International.

But if Maersk units Safmarine and MCC Transport were included, the Maersk Group as a whole is still nine per cent larger as a container carrier, said the CI report. MSC carried a capacity of 1,848,440 TEU in service on February 15, exceeding the capacity of Maersk Line, it said.

As of February 15, Safmarine possessed 11 containerships with a total capacity of 31,632 TEU and chartered in a further 45 boxships for 76,379 TEU. Also, the Singapore-based MCC Transport chartered in 52 vessels with totally 78,070 TEU for intra-Asia service.