MSC, the world’s largest container line, has ordered up to 20 ultra-large containerships at China’s Hengli Heavy Industry, according to shipbrokers. Each vessel carries 20,000 TEU and runs on LNG dual fuel, which burns liquefied natural gas or conventional fuel. If confirmed, this would be MSC’s first major newbuild order of the year and one of the biggest container contracts of 2026, with deliveries from the first half of 2029.
The deal adds more capacity to a carrier that already controls the largest share of the global fleet, deepening a concentration problem operators can't route around.
The report: Neither MSC nor Hengli has confirmed the deal. MB Shipbrokers first reported it via Splash247, which said MSC is “understood to have placed an order.” Riviera later corroborated the report, citing European shipbrokers and market sources. The order is said to comprise a firm tranche plus options.
Why it matters: MSC controls about 21.6% of global container capacity and is the first carrier ever to surpass 20%. This order would lock in even more tonnage entering service in the 2029 window, when most competitors are also expanding.
Hengli already holds large MSC LNG orders. These include roughly ten 21,000-TEU ships ordered in September 2024 and ten 24,000-TEU ships in December 2024. If this latest order lands, MSC’s commitment to the yard could reach up to 850,000 TEU (450,000 TEU prior plus up to 400,000 from this order).
On the lanes where MSC is already dominant, shippers have no practical alternative when the carrier gets tight on allocation.
Across the sector: Nearly every major carrier is ordering megaships for delivery in the 2028-2029 window at Chinese yards.
COSCO ordered 12 24,000-TEU methanol ships worth $2.9B in 2022
Evergreen and CMA CGM have large orderbooks of their own
Maersk is the exception. It is capping its orderbook as its share fell to about 13.7%, a 20-year low per Alphaliner, and is betting on reliability instead.
The global boxship orderbook has hit a record 11-13M TEU as of early 2026, equivalent to more than a third of the existing fleet.
The tension: BIMCO forecasts fleet supply growth of 3% in 2026 and 3.5% in 2027, outpacing demand. Yet rates are high right now. Drewry’s world container index sits at $4,166 per FEU (forty-foot equivalent), a 22-month high.
High rates are when carriers feel confident placing orders. More MSC tonnage entering in that same window means its slot allocation decisions will shape pricing, routing and shipper optionality across global trade.
