en.Wedoany.com Reported - French shipping line CMA CGM has set a target to surpass Denmark's Maersk to become the world's second-largest container shipping company by the end of 2027.

The Marseille-based group is relying on a massive orderbook of new vessels to drive growth. According to the latest data from shipping consultancy Alphaliner, in the current real-time ranking of global major container operators, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) ranks first with 7,342,945 TEUs, Maersk ranks second with 4,727,575 TEUs, and CMA CGM ranks third with 4,381,400 TEUs.

In terms of vessel numbers, as of July 6, 2026, MSC leads with approximately 1,002 ships, Maersk ranks second with about 746 ships, and CMA CGM ranks third with around 733 ships. CMA CGM's orderbook stands at approximately 1,768,805 TEUs, covering 158 vessels.

Last week, CMA CGM held the naming ceremony for the "CMA CGM Notre Dame" at the port of Le Havre. This LNG-powered container ship is nearly 400 meters long, 61 meters wide, with a capacity of 24,000 TEUs, and flies the French flag. The vessel is the first in a series of 10 identical 24,000 TEU LNG-powered ships, which will strengthen CMA CGM's French-flagged fleet, with plans to recruit 135 French seafarers over the next two years.

On July 1, the French newspaper Les Echos published an interview with Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman of the CMA CGM Group. The report suggests that this shift in rankings stems from CMA CGM's aggressive expansion of new vessel orders, as the company challenges both Maersk and MSC.

In terms of shipping decarbonization, both CMA CGM and Maersk have set net-zero emission targets, adopting different strategic pathways. Regardless of the chosen path, time will tell whether the rankings will change.