The top three carriers on the 2025 list are expected to control 61.3% of the market, compared to the combined market share of 53.2% held by MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM in 2024.

 Maersk's resurgence to second place; by 2025, its market share had climbed to 15.8%, accompanied by a decline for its German partner, Hapag-Lloyd.

Third place goes to France’s CMA CGM, which strengthened its position slightly, rising to 11.2% (up from 10.5%).

In a year marked by the reshaping of global container alliances, the market for maritime container transport to and from Italy has seen a resurgence in activity. A recent survey by the Bank of Italy, the "Survey on International Freight Transport", suggests that the market shares of carriers operating to and from the country have changed once again in 2025, indicating a trend towards increased concentration. While this change may not be a revolution, it is a noteworthy development that should be taken into consideration.

MSC retains the undisputed top spot. It now controls over a third of the country's imports and exports. That is 34.1%—an increase of more than 5 percentage points from 2024. At that time, it stood at 29.8%.

Information from Fairplay's Sea-Web database.

Before embarking upon the analysis, it is worthy of note that the study's report refers to the nationality of the carriers as opposed to the allocation of shares to individual shipping companies. However, the equations (for example, Switzerland = MSC) are generally rather uncomplicated, not least because each country analysed frequently hosts only a single operator (or, at the very least, one that is overwhelmingly dominant). The calculation method for these shares is another important point to note. The institute uses quantitative data from Istat, measured in tonnes, for individual ports. This is combined with information from Fairplay's Sea-Web database.

Related: New increases (+12%) in container freight rates between China and Italy in the last week

  Maersk's resurgence to the runner-up position by 2025

In this context, a distinct tendency is Maersk's resurgence to the runner-up position; by 2025, its percentage had climbed to 15.8% (marking a substantial surge of 7.4 percentage points). Nevertheless, the Danish carrier's resurgence is accompanied by a decline for its German partner, Hapag-Lloyd, which fell to 7.8% (down from 15%, a drop of 7.2 percentage points). As a result, the combined share held by these two shipping companies—now partners in the Gemini alliance—virtually remained the same between 2024 and 2025 (shifting from 23.4% to 23.6%). Third place goes to France’s CMA CGM, which strengthened its position slightly, rising to 11.2% (up from 10.5%).

 The top three carriers on the 2025 list

Interestingly, the top three carriers on the 2025 list are expected to control 61.3% of the market (compared to 53.2% in 2024, which was the combined market share of MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM at that time). Including the latter's traffic, this figure approaches 70% (specifically 69.1%), given its alliance with the Danish carrier Maersk.

 A modicum of fluidity is evident among the diminutive carriers

Nevertheless, a modicum of fluidity is evident among the diminutive carriers, which are generally witnessing a contraction in their market shares (with none currently exceeding the 5% mark). For instance, the share of container imports and exports held by Italian companies (such as Italia Marittima and Grendi) has stalled at 4.5%, down from the 5.4% recorded in 2024. Chinese carriers (Cosco) have seen a further decline, dropping to 3.8% (from 5%), while Japanese shipping companies — consolidated under ONE — have experienced an even sharper drop, falling from 6.2% to 3.7%. Traffic to and from Italy has also fallen significantly for Hong Kong-based carriers (such as OOCL), dropping from 5% to 2%.

  Taiwanese carriers have seen a slight recovery

In contrast, Taiwanese carriers (Evergreen and Yang Ming) have seen a slight recovery, rising from 2.4% to 3%. Meanwhile, South Korean carriers like HMM have seen a slight decline in their market share, dropping from 3.3% to 2%. In contrast, Turkish companies such as Arkas, Turkon, and Medkon have experienced a modest gain, rising from 1.4% to 1.6%. Finally, the Israeli carrier Zim has seen a modest but notable increase in its share of container traffic to and from Italy, rising from 1.2% to 2% between 2024 and 2025.

Source: Shipping Italy

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