Top maritime carriers covering Asia
125 carriers with regular service in Asia, ranked by number of ships.
Asia is home to 125 maritime carriers operating a combined fleet of around 9525 vessels. Below is the live ranking of these companies by fleet size, sourced from carrier reports and industry datasets.
The top three carriers — Mediterranean Shipping Company, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Nippon Yusen Kaisha — account for approximately 27% of the total fleet linked to Asia, reflecting the heavy industry concentration typical of the maritime sector.
The maritime activity tied to Asia spans several generations: the oldest tracked carrier (Nippon Yusen Kaisha) was established in 1885, while the most recent (Ocean Network Express) was founded in 2017.
Carriers serving Asia
Combined fleet (ships)
Average per company
Where carriers linked to Asia actually sail
Distribution of trade-lane coverage for carriers in this ranking. Most operate multi-region services, which explains why the percentages sum to more than 100%.
Featured carriers from this ranking
A closer look at the top three operators ranked here. Each profile summarises their fleet, founding year and regional coverage.
880 vessels in fleet · founded in 1970 · 300 maritime lines · 8 trade regions covered
View full profile873 vessels in fleet · founded in 1964 · 165 maritime lines · 8 trade regions covered
View full profile824 vessels in fleet · founded in 1885 · 165 maritime lines · 8 trade regions covered
View full profileAll carriers covering Asia
Full list of carriers reporting service in this region, sorted by fleet size. 20 carriers listed.
| # | Carrier | Ships |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mediterranean Shipping Company | 880 |
| 2 | Mitsui O.S.K. Lines | 873 |
| 3 | Nippon Yusen Kaisha | 824 |
| 4 | A.P. Moller - Maersk | 715 |
| 5 | CMA CGM Group | 658 |
| 6 | COSCO Shipping | 516 |
| 7 | Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha | 451 |
| 8 | Hapag-Lloyd | 299 |
| 9 | Cheng Lie Navigation | 289 |
| 10 | Ocean Network Express | 254 |
| 11 | Noatum Maritime | 250 |
| 12 | Evergreen marine Corporation OR Evergreen Line | 222 |
| 13 | PAN OCEAN | 203 |
| 14 | ZIM Integrated Shipping | 147 |
| 15 | Eukor | 130 |
| 16 | Wallenius Wilhelmsen | 130 |
| 17 | Wan Hai Lines | 124 |
| 18 | SITC Container Lines | 116 |
| 19 | COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co., Ltd. | 102 |
| 20 | Pacific International Lines | 101 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: Seadex aggregated data, 2026
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