INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COMPANIES throughout the world
A dramatic shot of an empty container ship, owned by Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime Agencies, travelling at speed in the open ocean with waves breaking off its bow. Container ships are a form of cargo ship which carry the majority of their cargo in containers which are shaped and designed to be carried by lorries when they reach their destination. This saves time unloading cargo in docks. Containerisation is the most common way for non-bulk cargo like electronics to be delivered.
If you’re new to international shipping it can be confusing as to which company best serves your needs and markets. Here’s a brief description of some of the main players in the international shipping game in order to give you a better idea as to the different benefits of each one.
NYK is the shortened name for Japanese shipping corporation Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, one of the biggest international shippers in the world.
Since its humble beginnings in the 1870s the Japanese giants have grown to run a passenger fleet-line before deciding to focus more of its energies on container shipping in the mid-20th century, this now forms the majority of the work.
CMA-CGM is the premier French container shipping company. Formed as a result of various mergers in 1978, CMA-CGM is led by Jacques Saade who was instrumental is growing the company to a fleet of over 350 ships running 150 international routes.
The Mediterranean Shipping Company, better known as MSC, is a Swiss company which has been running international cargo since 1970. MSC’s fleet of 456 container ships is renowned as one of the leading fleets in the world.
Zodiac Maritime Agencies is a London-based shipping company who offer an all inclusive package of management services and purchasing, crewing, operating and maintaining a vessel as well as insurance and legal services.
One of the most established shipping corporations in the world, Hapag-Lloyd is a German-based company which was started in 1970 after the Hamburg-American Line and the North German company Lloyd merged. Now, the conglomerate has over 130 ships transporting five million containers across the globe every year.
With the capacity to shoft over 1 billion tonnes of cargo on an annual basis through its 60 ships, The Hanjin Shipping Company is one of the largest Asian shipping companies in the world. Ten years ago, the company formed an alliance with COSCO which has placed both companies at the forefront of their markets.
Based in Shanghai, CSCL (China Shipping Container Lines, was established in 1997 but the company soon became one of the industry’s leading lights and sells stocks and shares on both the Hong Kong and Shanghai Stock Exchanges.