The global container shipping fleet surged from 4.5M TEU in 2000 to 33.6M TEU in 2025, driven by consolidation and increased vessel sizes.
The global container shipping fleet has expanded significantly, growing from 4.5 million TEU in 2000 to an impressive 33.6 million TEU projected for 2025, according to the Paris-based Alphaliner consultancy.
During the 2010s, consolidation within the industry resulted in 84 percent of ship capacity being controlled by the top 10 carriers, a notable increase from 61 percent at the beginning of the millennium.
The number of ships in the fleet rose from 2,622 to 7,492 over the past 25 years, while the average vessel size increased from approximately 1,700 TEU to 4,500 TEU.
Currently, the newbuilding pipeline is close to 11 million TEU, which is more than double the size of the world fleet in 2000.
Alphaliner data indicates that the fleet grew almost linearly from 2003 to 2023, adding about one million TEU annually. However, in the past two years, growth has accelerated to over two million TEU per year.
