Also referred to as Maersk, or Maersk Line, the A.P. Moller–Maersk Group is a Danish business conglomerate and the world’s largest container shipping company. Boasting a global workforce of 79,900 employees across 130 countries, the behemothic carrier has an armada of vessels (707) which call on 343 ports worldwide. Founded in 1904, Maersk has a TEU capacity of 4 million (17.7% market share).

MSC is a Geneva based Italian shipping company, known across the globe as a container shipping heavyweight and cruise liner operator (MSC Cruises). Founded in 1970, the company has expanded from a single vessel called Patricia, to a 517 strong fleet with a capacity of 3.3 million TEU (14.5% market share).

An acronym for China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, COSCO is a state-owned Chinese carrier with headquarters in Beijing. In February 2016, the company merged with China Shipping Group, acquiring Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) in July 2018 to become the world's third largest carrier. COSCO has a market share of 12.4% with a combined TEU capacity of 2.8 million across 473 container ships.

CMA CGM S.A. is a French shipping company which was founded in 1996 following the merger of Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètement (CMA) and Compagnie Générale Maritime (CGM). It has a rich history which can be traced back to 1851, and is now the fourth largest shipping company in the world. CMA CGM has 492 vessels and a TEU capacity of 2.6 million (11.6% market share).

Founded in 1970, Hapag-Lloyd originally formed following the merger of Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG) and Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL). It has since merged with Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) in 2014, to become a German-Chilean owned conglomerate and the world's fifth largest shipping company. Today the company has 223 vessels, and a capacity of 1.6 million TEU (7.1% market share).

With headquarters in Singapore, ONE is a Japanese company which was founded on the 7th July 2017 following the amalgamation of Nippon Yusen Kaisha (38% stake), K Line (31% stake) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (31% stake). It has a fleet of 220 vessels and a TEU capacity of 1.5 million (6.7% market share).

Evergreen Marine is the seventh largest shipping company in the world, with a capacity of over 1.2 million TEU (5.2% market share). Founded in 1968, it has a fleet of 203 container ships and headquarters in Taoyuan City, Taiwan.

Based in Keelung, Taiwan, Yang Ming was founded in 1972 and is the world's eighth largest shipping company. It has a capacity of 632,647 TEU (2.8% market share) and a fleet of 97 container ships.

Incorporated in Singapore, PIL is a privately held company that operates 135 vessels with a TEU capacity of 417,670 (1.8% market share). Founded in 1967 by Chinese entrepreneur Chang Yun Chung, it is the world's ninth largest shipping company.

Based in South Korea, Hyundai M.M. was founded in 1976. The company initially established a container service between the Far East and Middle East, and has since grown to become the world's tenth largest shipping company. It has a capacity of 408,947 TEU (1.8% market share) with 77 container ships.