Top 5 ocean carriers serving US trades see export share slips

Dustin Braden, Shipper Relationship Manger | Apr 09, 2018 7:00AM EDT

The decline in US export market share of the Top 5 carriers was driven largely by double-digit growth among carriers outside the Top 5. Above: the Port of Oakland. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com.

The Top 5 container lines serving the United States slightly increased their combined share of imports in 2017, but dominance of their exports receded.

The 1 percentage point decline to 55.2 percent in export share among the Top 5 export carriers in 2017 — Maersk Group (Maersk Line, Hamburg Süd, and SeaLand), Mediterranean Shipping Co., CMA CGM/APL, Hapag-Lloyd, and Evergreen Line — is the first drop since 2012 and takes place after years of steady industry consolidation.

The Top 5 import carriers, comprised of the same five carriers, increased their share 0.2 percentage points last year to 54 percent, continuing the gains they have made each year since 2014, according to PIERS, a sister product of JOC.com.

The decline in US export market share of the Top 5 carriers was driven largely by double-digit growth among carriers outside the Top 5, most notably the 26.1 percent increase in exports for Hyundai Merchant Marine to 476,149 TEU as it grabbed cargo formerly moved by Hanjin Shipping, and the 21.5 percent increase to 593,190 TEU at Cosco Shipping.

Cosco, which is merging with OOCL, would have been the No. 4 US export carrier in 2017, with a market share of 9.7 percent and combined volume of 1.2 million TEU based on the current rankings. The three Japanese carriers — NYK Line, MOL, and “K” Line — began sailing under the Ocean Network Express (ONE) on April 1; under the current rankings, ONE also would have also been the No. 4 carrier in 2017 with a share of 11.9 percent and total volume of 1.5 million TEU.

Other carriers that showed strong export growth in 2017 were MOL, up 11.9 percent to 481,083 TEU; Yang Ming, up 10.4 percent to 461,530 TEU; and ACL/Grimaldi Group, up 21.4 percent to 86,583 TEU.

Maersk Group’s 5 percent decline in export traffic to 1.8 million TEU and Hapag-Lloyd’s 4.6 percent drop to 1 million TEU also contributed to the Top 5 export carriers losing combined market share. The declines helped pull down export growth of the Top 5 so that it matched overall US export growth of 1.2 percent.

CMA CGM/APL was the fastest-growing of the Top 5 export carriers in 2017, with traffic up 8.3 percent to 1.6 million TEU, followed by MSC’s 4.9 percent increase to 1.6 million TEU, and Evergreen’s 3.8 percent gain to 817,364 TEU.

Import growth as a whole and among the Top 5 was much stronger, with combined volume of the Top 5 carriers expanding 6.2 percent, edging out the 5.9 percent growth in total US imports in 2017.

Under the current rankings, a merged Cosco and OOCL would have been tied with CMA CGM/APL for the No. 1 US import carrier in 2017 with a share of 13 percent. Cosco/OOCL volume would have totaled 2.4 million TEU. Japan’s Big Three, if the merger into ONE had closed last year, would have had an import market share of 12.8 percent, as their combined volume of 2.9 million TEU would have made them the No. 2 import carrier.

Volume at all of the Top 5 import carriers rose in 2017, with MSC’s 12.6 percent expansion to 2.8 million TEU leading the pack. CMA CGM/APL followed with a 9.3 percent increase to 3 million TEU, while Evergreen traffic rose 3.7 percent to 1.8 million TEU. Maersk Group import volume rose 2.9 percent to 2.8 million TEU, while Hapag-Lloyd imports inched up 0.8 percent to 1.9 million TEU.

US import growth was so strong last year that many of the top carriers recorded double-digit volume increases from bases in excess of 700,000 TEU. OOCL import traffic rose 25.8 percent to 1.2 million TEU, while HMM’s volume rose 19.9 percent to 940,506 TEU, and imports at MOL rose 18.6 percent to 911,318 TEU.

Rankings of the JOC Top 40 container carriers in US import trade lanes

US IMPORTS, January-December 2017 versus January-December 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 in laden TEU*

The JOC Top 40 container carriers in the US import trade carried 99.8 percent of the 22.9 million TEU in the overall US import trade in 2017, a volume increase of 5.9 percent year over year and surge of 20.5 percent above 2013. The JOC Top 5 carriers garnered 54 percent of the US import trade lane, or 12.4 million TEU in 2017 as volume jumped 6.2 percent year over year, and spiked 29.2 percent above the same period in 2013.

					January-December US IMPORTS					Percent Volume Change in JanUARY-December 2017
OCEAN CARRIER*		Website	World, US Headquarters	2017 Market Share	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	FROM 2013	FROM 2014	FROM 2015	FROM 2016
1	CMA CGM/APL	www.cma-cgm.com; www.apl.com	Marseille; Norfolk, Va. Singapore; Scottsdale, Ariz.	13.0%	2,549,170	2,597,523	2,661,711	2,725,476	2,977,695	16.8%	14.6%	11.9%	9.3%
2	Maersk Group	www.maerskline.com	Copenhagen; Florham Park, NJ	12.4%	2,359,206	2,458,676	2,471,039	2,760,042	2,841,049	20.4%	15.6%	15.0%	2.9%
3	MSC	www.mscgva.ch	Geneva; New York	12.2%	1,815,301	2,050,651	2,277,622	2,478,213	2,790,389	53.7%	36.1%	22.5%	12.6%
4	Hapag-Lloyd	www.hapag-lloyd.com	Hamburg; Piscataway, NJ	8.4%	1,416,820	1,744,114	1,751,719	1,904,571	1,920,290	35.5%	10.1%	9.6%	0.8%
5	Evergreen Line	www.evergreen-line.com	Taipei; Jersey City, NJ	8.0%	1,439,336	1,628,255	1,666,602	1,778,708	1,844,293	28.1%	13.3%	10.7%	3.7%
	JOC Top 5 US Import Carriers			54.0%	50.4%	51.6%	51.9%	53.8%	54.0%
	JOC Top 5 US Import Carriers' Market Share				9,579,833	10,479,219	10,828,692	11,647,009	12,373,716	29.2%	18.1%	14.3%	6.2%
6	Cosco *1	en.coscoshipping.com	Shanghai; Secaucus, NJ	7.7%	1,664,660	1,680,296	1,757,419	1,643,699	1,761,281	5.8%	4.8%	0.2%	7.2%
7	OOCL *1	www.oocl.com	Hong Kong; Salt Lake City	5.3%	749,248	824,313	842,318	970,113	1,220,006	62.8%	48.0%	44.8%	25.8%
8	NYK Line *2	www.nykline.com	Tokyo; Secaucus, NJ	4.5%	720,994	805,740	829,227	867,109	1,026,583	42.4%	27.4%	23.8%	18.4%
9	"K" Line *2	www.kline.com	Tokyo; Richmond, Va.	4.3%	798,104	860,039	920,119	977,066	997,128	24.9%	15.9%	8.4%	2.1%
10	Hyundai Merchant Marine	www.hmm21.com	Seoul; Irving, Texas	4.1%	857,726	843,022	743,767	784,353	940,506	9.7%	11.6%	26.5%	19.9%
11	Yang Ming Line	www.yangming.com.tw	Keelung; Newark, NJ	4.0%	729,119	794,114	849,873	875,045	922,042	26.5%	16.1%	8.5%	5.4%
12	MOL *2	www.molpower.com	Tokyo; Lombard, Ill.	4.0%	710,600	775,766	739,979	768,327	911,318	28.2%	17.5%	23.2%	18.6%
13	Zim Integrated Shipping Services	www.zim.com	Haifa; Norfolk, Va.	2.5%	325,926	387,116	497,697	494,940	567,070	74.0%	46.5%	13.9%	14.6%
14	Dole	www.doleoceancargo.com	Jacksonville, Fla.	1.1%	228,914	225,540	233,462	248,092	249,693	9.1%	10.7%	7.0%	0.6%
15	Pacific International Line	www.pilship.com	Singapore, Long Beach, Ca.	1.1%	117,811	109,813	107,068	162,269	241,093	104.6%	119.5%	125.2%	48.6%
16	Seaboard Marine	www.seaboardmarine.com	Miami	0.9%	164,046	155,353	190,477	190,252	204,445	24.6%	31.6%	7.3%	7.5%
17	Crowley	www.crowley.com	Jacksonville, Fla.	0.9%	171,384	181,816	197,144	189,025	199,654	16.5%	9.8%	1.3%	5.6%
18	SM Line	www.smlines.com	Seoul	0.8%					187,908
19	Wan Hai Lines	www.wanhaiusa.com	Taipei; Phoenix, Ariz.	0.7%	90,588	94,225	131,066	141,650	154,505	70.6%	64.0%	17.9%	9.1%
20	Great White Fleet	www.greatwhitefleet.com	Antwerp; Cincinnati	0.6%	177,538	184,069	150,359	149,132	140,005	-21.1%	-23.9%	-6.9%	-6.1%
21	Network Shipping	www.freshdelmonte.com	Coral Gables, Fla.	0.5%	56,980	61,119	71,371	74,746	118,617	108.2%	94.1%	66.2%	58.7%
22	Matson	www.matson.com	Oakland	0.5%	109,749	112,485	108,368	102,099	115,793	5.5%	2.9%	6.9%	13.4%
23	ACL/Grimaldi Group	www.aclcargo.com www.grimaldi.napoli.it	Naples; Westfield, NJ	0.5%	80,754	76,424	74,140	90,344	103,755	28.5%	35.8%	39.9%	14.8%
24	Independent Container Line	www.icl-ltd.com	Antwerp; Richmond, Va.	0.4%	76,117	84,154	89,562	86,151	93,234	22.5%	10.8%	4.1%	8.2%
25	Turkon Line	www.turkonamerica.com	Istanbul; Secaucus, NJ	0.2%	32,640	31,681	35,573	35,160	43,803	34.2%	38.3%	23.1%	24.6%
26	TOTE Maritime	www.totemaritime.com	Jacksonville, Fla.	0.2%	30,447	29,606	32,170	36,114	40,679	33.6%	37.4%	26.5%	12.6%
27	Tropical Shipping	www.tropical.com	Riviera Beach, Fla.	0.2%	39,513	50,351	41,777	39,294	39,666	0.4%	-21.2%	-5.1%	0.9%
28	Westwood Shipping	www.wsl.com	Puyallup, Wash.	0.2%	31,161	33,535	39,904	35,009	37,527	20.4%	11.9%	-6.0%	7.2%
29	King Ocean Services	www.kingocean.com	Doral, Fla.	0.2%	27,582	30,712	27,492	32,699	37,178	34.8%	21.1%	35.2%	13.7%
30	Agriculture Investment Export Inc.	www.solgroup-marketing.com	Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Port Everglades	0.1%	20,438	17,848	17,152	26,231	25,157	23.1%	41.0%	46.7%	-4.1%
31	Linea Peninsular	www.lineaships.com	Panama City, Fla.	0.1%	18,884	17,427	16,036	17,083	21,836	15.6%	25.3%	36.2%	27.8%
32	Trailer Bridge	www.trailerbridge.com	Jacksonville, Fla.	0.1%	21,144	19,655	21,915	23,440	18,910	-10.6%	-3.8%	-13.7%	-19.3%
33	Marine Express	www.marinexpressinc.com	Mayaguez, Puerto Rico	0.1%	12,099	14,247	13,770	12,985	14,723	21.7%	3.3%	6.9%	13.4%
34	Priority Ro-Ro	priorityroro.com/en/index.html	Mayaguez, Puerto Rico	0.1%	9,268	6,863	7,980	9,797	12,847	38.6%	87.2%	61.0%	31.1%
35	World Direct Shipping	www.worlddirectshipping.com	Palmetto, Fla.	0.0%		190	3,795	7,044	9,966		5145.4%	162.6%	41.5%
36	Spliethoff Transport	www.spliethoff.com	Amsterdam; Cleveland	0.0%	7,987	9,204	10,380	8,895	9,087	13.8%	-1.3%	-12.5%	2.2%
37	Antillean Lines	www.antillean.com	Miami	0.0%	9,580	7,501	6,947	7,600	8,903	-7.1%	18.7%	28.2%	17.1%
38	Eimskip	www.eimskip.com	Reykjavik; Virginia Beach	0.0%	4,747	5,224	6,073	7,749	8,127	71.2%	55.6%	33.8%	4.9%
39	Atlantic Ro-Ro Carriers	www.cisnav.com	Montreal; Hoboken, NJ	0.0%	5,023	7,858	8,481	7,401	7,268	44.7%	-7.5%	-14.3%	-1.8%
40	Swire Shipping	www.swireshipping.com	Singapore	0.0%	6,840	6,865	7,867	6,381	5,290	-22.7%	-22.9%	-32.8%	-17.1%
	TOTAL JOC TOP 40 US IMPORT CARRIERS			99.8%	17,687,443	19,023,389	19,659,421	20,774,303	22,869,319	29.3%	20.2%	16.3%	10.1%
	TOTAL ALL US IMPORT CARRIERS			100.0%	19,017,708	20,303,067	20,868,857	21,644,249	22,924,516	20.5%	12.9%	9.9%	5.9%
	MARKET SHARE OF ALL JOC TOP 40 US IMPORT CARRIERS				93.0%	93.7%	94.2%	96.0%	99.8%

1* Cosco Shipping parent company China Cosco Shipping Group is acquiring OOCL.
2* NYK Line, MOL, and "K" Line will complete merger into ONE on April 1, 2018.

Rankings of the JOC Top 40 container carriers in US export trade lanes

US EXPORTS, January-December 2017 versus January-December 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 in laden TEU*

The JOC Top 40 container carriers in the US export trade carried 99.8 percent of the 12.5 million TEU in the overall US export trade in 2017, as total export volume rose 1.2 percent year over year, yet declined 1.8 percent compared with 2013. The JOC Top 5 carriers garnered 55.2 percent of the US export trade lane, or 6.8 million TEU in 2017, a year-over-year volume increase of 1.2 percent, and up just 1.7 percent from 2013's figure.

					January-December US EXPORTS					Percent Volume Change in JanUARY-December 2017
OCEAN CARRIER*		Website	World, US Headquarters	2017 Market Share	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	FROM 2013	FROM 2014	FROM 2015	FROM 2016
1	Maersk Group	www.maerskline.com	Copenhagen; Florham Park, NJ	14.5%	1,725,937	1,764,984	1,592,442	1,912,168	1,816,883	5.3%	2.9%	14.1%	-5.0%
2	MSC	www.mscgva.ch	Geneva; New York	13.1%	1,562,539	1,559,124	1,521,075	1,568,412	1,644,534	5.2%	5.5%	8.1%	4.9%
3	CMA CGM/APL	www.cma-cgm.com; www.apl.com	Marseille; Norfolk, Va. Singapore; Scottsdale, Ariz.	12.4%	1,571,426	1,437,021	1,455,375	1,438,800	1,558,250	-0.8%	8.4%	7.1%	8.3%
4	Hapag-Lloyd	www.hapag-lloyd.com	Hamburg; Piscataway, NJ	8.0%	1,078,130	1,128,473	1,032,259	1,053,656	1,005,074	-6.8%	-10.9%	-2.6%	-4.6%
5	Evergreen Line	www.evergreen-line.com	Taipei; Jersey City, NJ	6.5%	790,120	763,905	754,377	787,393	817,364	3.4%	7.0%	8.3%	3.8%
	JOC Top 5 US Export Carriers			54.5%	52.6%	52.0%	50.9%	56.2%	55.2%
	JOC Top 5 US Export Carriers' Market Share				6,728,152	6,653,506	6,355,528	6,760,429	6,842,105	1.7%	2.8%	7.7%	1.2%
6	OOCL *1	www.oocl.com	Hong Kong; Salt Lake City	5.0%	538,285	530,534	527,816	616,788	623,110	15.8%	17.4%	18.1%	1.0%
7	NYK Line *2	www.nykline.com	Tokyo; Secaucus, NJ	4.8%	454,088	522,760	580,678	560,679	600,740	32.3%	14.9%	3.5%	7.1%
8	Cosco *1	en.coscoshipping.com	Shanghai; Secaucus, NJ	4.7%	697,466	646,181	499,568	488,189	593,190	-15.0%	-8.2%	18.7%	21.5%
9	MOL *2	www.molpower.com	Tokyo; Lombard, Ill.	3.8%	370,674	389,403	378,263	429,881	481,083	29.8%	23.5%	27.2%	11.9%
10	Hyundai Merchant Marine	www.hmm21.com	Seoul; Irving, Texas	3.8%	515,044	439,741	378,138	377,564	476,149	-7.6%	8.3%	25.9%	26.1%
11	Yang Ming Line	www.yangming.com.tw	Keelung; Newark, NJ	3.7%	414,631	407,827	372,216	418,133	461,530	11.3%	13.2%	24.0%	10.4%
12	"K" Line *2	www.kline.com	Tokyo; Richmond, Va.	3.3%	406,307	406,526	407,265	431,056	410,082	0.9%	0.9%	0.7%	-4.9%
13	Seaboard Marine	www.seaboardmarine.com	Miami	2.7%	301,245	299,893	320,150	321,845	344,372	14.3%	14.8%	7.6%	7.0%
14	Crowley	www.crowley.com	Jacksonville, Fla.	2.7%	353,352	347,890	385,103	344,596	337,618	-4.5%	-3.0%	-12.3%	-2.0%
15	Zim Integrated Shipping Services	www.zim.com	Haifa; Norfolk, Va.	2.0%	246,770	222,972	253,769	261,032	252,629	2.4%	13.3%	-0.4%	-3.2%
16	TOTE Maritime	www.totemaritime.com	Jacksonville, Fla.	1.5%	108,784	110,515	153,868	174,342	187,336	72.2%	69.5%	21.8%	7.5%
17	Tropical Shipping	www.tropical.com	Riviera Beach, Fla.	1.1%	119,631	122,371	130,735	127,701	133,624	11.7%	9.2%	2.2%	4.6%
18	King Ocean Services	www.kingocean.com	Doral, Fla.	0.7%	79,829	85,394	86,954	88,293	88,705	11.1%	3.9%	2.0%	0.5%
19	ACL/Grimaldi Group	www.aclcargo.com www.grimaldi.napoli.it	Naples; Westfield, NJ	0.7%	78,758	72,964	72,663	71,314	86,583	9.9%	18.7%	19.2%	21.4%
20	Great White Fleet	www.greatwhitefleet.com	Antwerp; Cincinnati	0.6%	79,515	82,443	84,621	81,664	79,168	-0.4%	-4.0%	-6.4%	-3.1%
21	Trailer Bridge	www.trailerbridge.com	Jacksonville, Fla.	0.6%	65,306	54,743	71,595	64,555	69,306	6.1%	26.6%	-3.2%	7.4%
22	Dole	www.doleoceancargo.com	Jacksonville, Fla.	0.5%	51,925	49,121	60,559	53,818	62,034	19.5%	26.3%	2.4%	15.3%
23	Independent Container Line	www.icl-ltd.com	Antwerp; Richmond, Va.	0.5%	59,818	61,894	62,147	61,947	61,684	3.1%	-0.3%	-0.7%	-0.4%
24	Matson	www.matson.com	Oakland	0.4%	56,863	54,342	54,106	56,702	51,208	-9.9%	-5.8%	-5.4%	-9.7%
25	SM Line	www.smlines.com	Seoul	0.4%					47,136
26	Pacific International Line	www.pilship.com	Singapore, Long Beach, Ca.	0.3%	50,695	49,786	42,542	57,483	37,867	-25.3%	-23.9%	-11.0%	-34.1%
27	Turkon Line	www.turkonamerica.com	Istanbul; Secaucus, NJ	0.3%	40,787	36,814	31,407	30,816	31,675	-22.3%	-14.0%	0.9%	2.8%
28	Antillean Lines	www.antillean.com	Miami	0.2%	22,938	21,181	21,133	22,965	24,644	7.4%	16.4%	16.6%	7.3%
29	Wan Hai Lines	www.wanhaiusa.com	Taipei; Phoenix, Ariz.	0.2%	23,103	16,793	16,250	28,605	24,403	5.6%	45.3%	50.2%	-14.7%
30	Hybur Shipping	www.hydeshipping.com	Cayman Islands; Port Everglades	0.2%	16,421	14,467	21,092	22,110	21,394	30.3%	47.9%	1.4%	-3.2%
31	Seacor	www.seacorislandlines.com	Fort Lauderdale	0.2%		99	72	10,543	20,290		20330.7%	28202.1%	92.4%
32	Westwood Shipping	www.wsl.com	Puyallup, Wash.	0.2%	19,237	18,656	18,950	18,751	19,950	3.7%	6.9%	5.3%	6.4%
33	Linea Peninsular	www.lineaships.com	Panama City, Fla.	0.1%	19,302	12,835	15,267	11,815	11,176	-42.1%	-12.9%	-26.8%	-5.4%
34	Network Shipping	www.freshdelmonte.com	Coral Gables, Fla.	0.1%	14,505	10,880	11,776	11,746	8,907	-38.6%	-18.1%	-24.4%	-24.2%
35	Bermuda Container Line	www.neptunebermuda.com	Hamilton, Bermuda; Newark, NJ	0.1%	7,167	7,011	7,252	7,418	8,300	15.8%	18.4%	14.4%	11.9%
36	Swire Shipping	www.swireshipping.com	Singapore; Vancouver, BC	0.1%	6,733	6,981	9,809	10,220	7,018	4.2%	0.5%	-28.5%	-31.3%
37	United Abaco Shipping	www.unitedabacoshipping.com	Bahamas	0.0%	1,160	923	1,218	3,203	5,369	362.9%	481.8%	340.9%	67.6%
38	Somers Isles Shipping	www.somers-isles-shipping.com	Fernandina Beach, Fla.	0.0%	3,445	3,155	3,421	3,832	3,973	15.3%	25.9%	16.1%	3.7%
39	Schuyler Line Navigation	www.schuylerline.com	Annapolis, Md.	0.0%	613	154	951	3,692	3,198	421.3%	1979.9%	236.3%	-13.4%
40	Intermarine	www.intermarine.com	Houston, Tx.	0.0%	12,740	10,496	8,286	4,026	2,979	-76.6%	-71.6%	-64.1%	-26.0%
	TOTAL JOC TOP 40 US EXPORT CARRIERS			99.8%	11,965,291	11,771,251	11,445,169	12,037,752	12,520,533	4.6%	6.4%	9.4%	4.0%
	TOTAL ALL US EXPORT CARRIERS			100.0%	12,784,055	12,497,737	12,031,021	12,396,242	12,549,608	-1.8%	0.4%	4.3%	1.2%
	MARKET SHARE OF ALL JOC TOP 40 US EXPORT CARRIERS				93.6%	94.2%	95.1%	97.1%	99.8%

1* Cosco Shipping parent company China Cosco Shipping Group is acquiring OOCL.
2* NYK Line, MOL, and "K" Line will complete merger into ONE on April 1, 2018.