According to the latest weekly report of Alphaliner, the competitive landscape of the intra-Asian trade sector is undergoing a significant reshaping. The positions of the leading shipping companies are likely to undergo a major reordering. Maersk is challenging the top-ranked COSCO Shipping and is rapidly closing the gap.

Currently, COSCO's trade and transportation capacity within the Asian region (excluding domestic trade) stands at 300,491 TEUs, maintaining the top position. However, the rapid rise of the Danish shipping giant Maersk is continuously narrowing the leading margin of COSCO. Over the past year, Maersk has added 100,000 standard container units of operational capacity in this region, raising its total capacity to 298,134 standard containers (a difference of 2,357 TEUs), which has almost eliminated the gap between Maersk and COSCO's capacities. 

The rapid growth of Maersk is not an isolated event. The capacity of its "Gemini Cooperation" partner Hapag-Lloyd has nearly doubled compared to August 2024 (an increase of 97%). The core driving force behind the growth of these two shipping companies is the establishment of the "Gemini Cooperation". This alliance has enabled the two companies to operate more short-haul shuttle routes within the Asian region, in line with their "hub-radiation" shipping network layout. With the increase in capacity, the average size of the ships operated by the two companies has also significantly expanded. Last month, the average capacity of the ships operated by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd reached 2,981 standard containers and 2,909 standard containers respectively, approaching the average capacity of the largest shipping company operating in the region, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) - whose average capacity is 3,021 standard containers.

In addition to Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, the explosive growth of Singapore-based Pilipino Lines (PIL) has also added more variables to the competitive landscape of intra-Asian trade. In terms of capacity growth, PIL ranked first with an increase of 116%, and its operational capacity exceeded 26,008 standard containers, achieving a doubling of growth. With this remarkable achievement, PIL and Hapag-Lloyd successfully entered the Top 20 list of intra-Asian trade capacity, ranking 19th and 16th respectively. This change directly led to the exclusion of Russia's FESCO and GSL from the Top 20, with their rankings dropping to 23rd and 26th respectively. Looking back at the key measures for PIL's growth, in June this year, it collaborated with Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and X-Press Feeders to launch the "NCI" route from North China to Indonesia, and deployed 3 ships of 3,600-3,900 standard containers on this route. This action became an important driver for its significant increase in capacity. 

From the perspective of the overall market structure, the trade competition within the Asian region (excluding domestic trade) remains intense. Currently, there are at least 69 active shipping participants. Over the past year, the total capacity in this region has increased by 13% year-on-year, reaching 2.4 million standard containers. Among them, the top 20 shipping companies hold a dominant position, while the capacity of the remaining operators accounts for only 13%. 

It is worth noting that other Chinese shipping companies are also accelerating the expansion of their markets within Asia. Besides COSCO, Ningbo Ocean Shipping (NBOSCO) is gradually moving out of its domestic market in China and is currently mainly focusing on the route connections between China and Southeast Asia. This strategic layout has directly driven a 50% increase in its regional operational capacity. As of last month, NBOSCO's capacity in the Asian region has reached 26,000 standard containers. 

Just as Sindhar Shipping mentioned in the article "Southeast Asia, Not an Alternative, But a Main Route!", with the continuous changes in the Sino-US trade pattern, the industry has been calling for "finding alternative routes". Southeast Asia has become a frequently mentioned keyword. In fact, thanks to its own economic development, regional supply chain reconfiguration, and deep integration with China, Southeast Asia is no longer a temporary Plan B. Instead, it has become a key link in the main routes on the global shipping map, constantly rising.