CONTAINER FLEET INTELLIGENCE
Container Ships
Box Vessel Fleet
From 24,000 TEU ultra-large vessels to regional feeders — complete container ship classification, liner operator data, alliance structures, and real-time fleet tracking.
VESSEL SIZE CLASSIFICATION
Container Ship Size Categories
| Class | TEU Range |
|---|---|
ULCS Ultra Large Container Ship | > 18,000 TEU |
New Panamax Neo-Panamax / Large Container Ship | 12,000–18,000 TEU |
Post-Panamax Post-Panamax | 5,000–12,000 TEU |
Panamax Panamax Container Ship | 3,000–5,000 TEU |
Sub-Panamax Sub-Panamax / Intermediate | 1,500–3,000 TEU |
Feeder Feeder / Coastal Container Ship | < 1,500 TEU |
Requires dedicated mega-terminals; Maersk Triple-E class exemplar
Fits the expanded Panama Canal locks (2016); dominant long-haul class
Too wide for original Panama Canal; most versatile mainlane class
Designed to fit original Panama Canal locks (beam max 32.2 m)
Deployed on niche trades and where larger vessels cannot call
Connect smaller ports to hub ports; often second-hand from mainlane service
LINER MARKET
Major Liner Operators
| Operator | Market Share |
|---|---|
| MSC | 18.2% |
| Maersk | 17.8% |
| CMA CGM | 12.4% |
| COSCO / OOCL | 11.8% |
| Hapag-Lloyd | 8.6% |
| ONE (Ocean Network Express) | 7.4% |
| Evergreen | 5.8% |
Market share and fleet data indicative as of 2025. Subject to fleet and alliance changes.
LIVE FLEET DATA
Recently Tracked Container Ships
| IMO | Vessel Name | Class | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9780009 | EVER GOLDEN | ULCS | Underway |
| 9811031 | MSC IRINA | ULCS | Berthed |
| 9741484 | CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPERY | New Panamax | Underway |
| 9674907 | COSCO SHIPPING UNIVERSE | New Panamax | At Anchor |
| 9632562 | HAPAG-LLOYD BERLIN | Post-Panamax | Underway |
Sample data for illustration. Live AIS tracking available via HeyMariner vessel search.
CONTAINER SHIPPING
Container Shipping Fundamentals
Container shipping carries over 80% of world manufactured goods, moving approximately 800 million TEU annually through a network of hub and feeder services.
TEU — Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit
TEU is the standard unit for measuring container capacity. One TEU equals one 20-foot container. Most modern boxes are 40-foot (2 TEU) or 45-foot high-cube units.
Liner Alliances
Most major container lines operate within alliances (Gemini, Ocean Alliance, Premier Alliance) to share vessel space and optimise port calls on key East-West trade lanes.
Hub-and-Spoke Model
Large vessels call at major hub ports; feeder vessels then distribute containers to smaller regional ports. Singapore, Rotterdam, and Algeciras are key transshipment hubs.
Reefer Containers
Temperature-controlled reefer containers are essential for perishables. Container ships carry plugged reefer boxes — typically 2–10% of total capacity.
CII Rating & Decarbonisation
Container ships face Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) ratings under IMO MARPOL regulations. Slow steaming, LNG dual-fuel, and methanol-fuelled vessels are deployed in response.
SCFI & FBX Indices
The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) and Freightos Baltic Exchange (FBX) are benchmark spot rate indicators for key container trade routes.