CMA CGM (including Containerships, its intra-European short sea shipping operator and feeder carrier) is the only carrier to have achieved a significant increase in market share and capacity in the intra-European market in the last 12 months, says Alphaliner.
They report that capacity in the intra-European service has decreased by 1.2% since February 2022, mainly due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In this study, Alphaliner has calculated the market share of each carrier offering regular intra-European container services compared to a year ago.
Nevertheless, CMA CGM returns to claim the second place among the largest major carrier operators (MLOs) in Europe. The French airline has increased its capacity quota from 15%, or 147,000 TEUs, last year to the current 16.2%, equivalent to 157,500 TEUs.
Unlike other carriers that have phased out entire services to and from Russia, CMA CGM has shifted tonnage to other intra-European services or replaced Russian calls with other ports in the Baltic or Black Sea region, Alphaliner adds.
With 100 container ships deployed, CMA CGM operates the same number of ships as last year, but the average ship size increased by just over 100 TEU per ship, from 1,470 TEU to 1,575 TEU. CMA CGM has significantly upgraded its FEMEX Northern Europe-Turkey service, which previously operated with four ships of between 3,400 and 4,300 TEUs. Today this loop works with five ships of 3,400 to 5,100 teu.
The two largest MLOs (Shipping Line Operators) in the intra-European services segment (MSC and CMA CGM) have strengthened their position and together account for 48.8% or 475,000 TEUs of total deployed capacity, compared to 46 .5% or 457,000 TEU at this time last year.
However, MSC once again occupies the first position among the intra-European operators by capacity deployed. With a market share of 32.6% (31.5% a year ago), the Geneva-based operator achieves by far the highest market share of all operators in the intra-European services segment.
Maersk, with its intra-European arm Sealand Europe & Med, still ranks third among Europe’s MLOs with a market share of 11.3%, compared to 11.6% a year ago. The Danish line has eliminated almost 4,000 TEU of capacity, as the carrier has withdrawn all services that called in Russia or cut parts of existing services that called in the Russian Baltic and Black Sea coast.
ZIM, which in 2022 achieved a market share of 3%, has seen its share fall to 1.7% in the last twelve months, leaving the airline in ninth place, ahead of short sea shipping specialist BG Freight Line, based in Rotterdam. The Haifa-based line has reduced its intra-European capacity by a staggering 44.8% or 13,000 TEU in just one year. In particular, ZIM closed its dedicated Northern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean ‘NE1’ service which the line had previously operated jointly with MSC. Instead, ZIM now offers a connection between Northern Europe and Israel as part of its deepwater ‘ZMI’ service between Northern Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Indian subcontinent.
This alone represents more than 11,000 teu of its reduced capacity in the intra-European service segment. Instead, ZIM now offers a connection between Northern Europe and Israel on its ‘ZMI’ service from the Indian Subcontinent-Eastern Mediterranean.
Unifeeder still maintains its position as the largest independent feeder operator in Europe. With a market share of 4.7%, the Aarhus-based airline once again ranks fifth in the league of the largest intra-European carriers by deployed capacity. However, the closest competitor, the Turkish airline Arkas Line, almost closed the gap reaching a share of 4.6%.
Although still in fifth position compared to the previous year, Unifeeder has lost almost a quarter of its market share, or 15,000 TEU of capacity, due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the staggering downward swing in cargo demand from Far East Asia to Northern Europe. . The carrier optimized most of its services connecting northern Europe with the Baltic region, launching five ships of 1,100 teu – 1,600 teu that have now been taken up by other shipping lines.
The Turkish line Akkon Lines has tripled its market share in just one year, reaching 1.1%. This catapults the Istanbul-based airline ahead of Evergreen to 11th position, up 11 spots from last year. In just 12 months, the Istanbul-based line has launched four new services offering additional weekly capacity of around 3,200 TEU.
Source: Alphaliner
