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Maersk overtakes Cosco to top intra-Asia capacity rankings

Maersk has overtaken Cosco to become the largest container shipping line in the intra-Asia market by deployed capacity, according to the latest analysis by Alphaliner. The analyst's mid-August review revealed capacity on the intra-Asia trade grew 6.2% year on year to just below 2.6m teu. This was slightly ahead of the global container fleet's growth of more than 5% over the same period, underlining the continued expansion and competitiveness of the intra-Asia market. Alphaliner's survey found more than 80 active carriers in the trade, although the majority are small regional and feeder operators. These carriers accounted for 37% of deployed capacity, while mainline operators controlled more than 63%, despite operating fewer ships. The difference is largely explained by vessel size, with mainline operators averaging 2,699 teu per vessel, compared with 1,338 teu for regional carriers. SITC, the leading regional operator, illustrates the disparity. Despite operating 109 ships, its 157,000 teu fleet put it sixth among the largest carriers in the trade. Its smaller vessels reflect its focus on direct services to smaller and niche Asian ports. Maersk operated 108 vessels but had the largest average ship size in the ranking, at 3,176 teu. Its total deployed capacity rose above 340,000 teu, helped by additional Asian shuttle services feeding the Gemini Cooperation's main east-west loops under its 'hub-and-spoke' model. "There was already a razor-thin spread between number one and two last year," stated Alphaliner. Cosco, including Cosco Shipping Lines, OOCL, NGS, Panasia and Co Heung, slipped to second place. Its capacity was virtually unchanged year on year, rising by about 500 teu, although it deployed more than 120 vessels. This is because its average vessel size fell by about 6%. CMA CGM was the second-largest capacity gainer, adding around 15,000 teu. Three new services accounted for much of the increase: the Korea-China-Indonesia-Vietnam 'KI8', China-Thailand 'NT8' and Straits-Malaysia Myanmar-Indonesia 'BY8'. Gold Star Line (GSL) recorded the largest percentage increase among the 20 biggest carriers, expanding 72%, or about 11,000 teu, to climb from 26th to 19th. Samudera increased capacity by 26%, while Shanghai Jin Jiang Shipping, including Hasco, grew 21%. Interasia Lines also entered the top 20 after a 20% increase. GSL and Interasia displaced Pacific International Lines and Ningbo Ocean Shipping from the top 20, although neither suffered a significant capacity reduction. At the other end of the table, TS Lines, Hapag-Lloyd and Sinokor recorded the largest reductions. Hapag-Lloyd cut almost 7,000 teu, while Sinokor reduced capacity by around 6,000 teu after withdrawing from several loops. The intra-Asia fleet's teu-weighted average age remained about 12 years. TS Lines retained the youngest fleet among the top 20, at six years, while MSC remained the oldest at 21 years. The survey covered liner services and extra ad-hoc sailings operating across the intra-Asia trade, from the Russian Far East to Myanmar, as recorded on 15 August.

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Majority of FedEx's MD-11Fs now back in action

FedEx is now operating the vast majority of its fleet of MD-11F aircraft following the model's temporary grounding last year. Data from the flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 shows that of the 28 MD-11Fs listed as being part of the FedEx fleet, 20 have conducted flights over the last seven days. Most of the aircraft have been operating on the express giant's US and Canadian network, although there have been a couple of flights to Singapore in the last week. Speaking in June, the company's chief executive and president, Rajesh Subramaniam, said he hoped to have all aircraft back in operation in time for this year's fourth-quarter peak season. At the time, FedEx was operating four of the aircraft. It began the process of re-integrating its MD-11Fs in May. The model was grounded back in November after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) that ordered owners and operators of MD-11 freighters to inspect their aircraft for faults following the fatal crash of a UPS MD-11F on 4 November last year. The accident resulted in the deaths of three pilots onboard and 12 people on the ground. US investigators have been seeking to understand why a history of bearing failures on Boeing MD-11 pylons did not lead to sufficient corrective action before last November's accident. Fatigue in the bearing race housed between two pylon bulkhead lugs -- which anchor the aft section of the engine pylon to the wing -- could cause the race to split and migrate, leading to abnormal stress on the lugs. The National Transportation Safety Board believes a stress fracture of both lugs, resulting in aft pylon detachment from the wing, caused the UPS MD-11F's left engine to pivot upwards and separate on rotation. Multiple instances of similar bearing race failures on MD-11 pylons, including three on FedEx aircraft since June 2020, were detailed on 19 May during the opening day of the safety board's hearing into the accident. As well as FedEx, US freighter airline Western Global also started the process of returning its four MD-11 freighters to operation in May, with at least three of the aircraft now conducting regular flights. In contrast to FedEx and Western Global, UPS retired all its MD-11Fs in the fourth quarter of 2025 and said it will replace these aircraft with Boeing 767Fs. Although FedEx decided to continue operating MD-11Fs, it has retired five of the type.