CMA CGM aims to become the world’s No. 2 shipping company by the end of 2027 as Rodolphe Saadé, the chairman and chief executive of the group, is challenging Maersk and MSC.
The competitive landscape in the container shipping industry is shifting fast.
French shipowner CMA CGM has recently thrown down the gauntlet to Maersk, aiming to overtake it as the world’s second-largest container shipping company by the end of 2027.
The company aims to overtake Denmark’s Maersk and take over the position of the world’s second-largest shipping company by the end of 2027.
The growth of the Marseille-based group company is driven by a massive order book, with analysts emphasizing that the sector is about to experience a historic change in hierarchy.
On 1 July, French newspaper Les Echos published an interview with Rodolphe Saadé under the headline: “CMA CGM vise la place de numéro 2 mondial du transport maritime d’ici à la fin 2027.” In English, this means: “CMA CGM aims to become the world’s number 2 container shipping company by the end of 2027.”
This change in hierarchy is explained by the aggressive expansion of CMA CGM’s new vessel order book.
The CMA CGM Group celebrated last week the naming ceremony of the CMA CGM Notre Dame in Le Havre, the newest vessel in its fleet.
Measuring nearly 400 metres in length, 61 metres in width and with a capacity of up to 24,000 TEUs, the LNG-powered containership operates under the French flag.
The vessel is the first in a series of ten 24,000 TEU LNG-powered containerships that will strengthen CMA CGM’s French-flagged fleet and enable the recruitment of 135 French seafarers over the next two years.
According to latest Alphaliner’s figures, MSC ranks first with 7,342,945 teu, followed by Maersk at 4,727,575 teu and CMA CGM at 4,381,400 teu.
Alphaliner’s public Top 100 is a real-time ranking of the world’s major container operators, including vessel counts, fleet capacities, orderbooks and market share.
The real-time ranking shows that on July 6, 2026, MSC remains firmly in the first place with around 1,002 vessels. Maersk ranks second with around 746 vessels. CMA CGM ranks third with around 733 vessels.
The French shipowner has also an order book of around 1,768,805 TEU, covering 158 vessels.
Last week, the French newspaper Les Echos described Rodolphe Saadé as challenging Maersk and MSC.
Both CMA CGM and Maersk have set a net-zero target for their shipping business and have already individually taken ambitious paths on promoting decarbonization for shipping. But each carrier has its own strategic focus, and whatever path they choose, time will tell if there would be a change in the ranking.
