Alphaliner Names The Top 10 Container Shipping Lines For 2013

According to Alphaliner, the industry's leading container shipping analyst, this is the list of the Top 10 Container Shipping Lines 2013.

1. Maersk Line: The global containerized division of the A.P. Moller–Maersk Group, commonly known as Maersk Line, operates a fleet of 550 vessels and more than 3,600,000 TEU.
2. Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC): Mediterranean Shipping Company has 434 ships and 2,174,000 TEUs, making it the world's 2nd largest shipping company.
3. CMA CGM S.A.: Founded in 1978 by Jacques R. Saadé, CMA CGM is the world’s 3rd largest container shipping group and the biggest in France.
4. Evergreen Marine Corporation (EMC): Since being establishment by Dr Yung-Fa Chang on September 01 1968, Evergreen Marine Corp (EMC) has grown its fleet to over 160 container vessels and ranks among the world's leading international shipping companies.
5. China Ocean Shipping Container Line (COSCO): COSCO Container Lines Company Limited operates a fleet of 157 vessels with 667,970 TEUs. Their ships call upon 159 ports in 48 countries/regions around the world and travel 76 international routes.
6. Hapag Lloyd: The shipping container line Hapag-Lloyd AG is owned by the German transportation company Hapag-Lloyd and operates 150 modern ships, and transports approximately five million TEU each year.
7. APL: APL is the world's 7th largest container transportation and shipping company, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Neptune Orient Lines, a Singapore-based global container shipping and logistics company. It operates a containership fleet of more than 150 container vessels and has more than 200 offices around the world.
8. Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd.: Hanjin Shipping Co. is the trading name of Hanjin Shipping Holdings Ltd., a global shipping company. Currently operating a fleet of 200 containerships, Hanjin Shipping is Korea's largest shipping line and one of the world’s top 10 cargo container carriers.
9. China Shipping Container Lines Company Limited (CSCL): China Shipping Container Lines is principally engaged in operation and management of container shipping. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company handled approximately 7,438,002 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
10. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL): Founded in 1884, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) operates more than 800 vessels and is widely recognized as one of the world's leading shipping companies. In 2012, MOL teamed up with other five major carriers to form the G6 Alliance, with the goal of improving the quality of Asia-Europe container shipping service.

Despite the challenges presented by the recovering global economy and the constant threat of over-capacity, the world's leading container shipping lines have demonstrated their ability to turn adversity into prosperity. Over the course of 2014 and 2015, analysts expect that the industry will finally emerge from its slump and these shipping industry leaders will produce strong profits and an even stronger global economy.