To retrieve the data, select Maritime transport from the Folders menu, select the "Merchant fleet by flag of registration and by type of ship, annual" table, and from the drop-down menu in the table, select Measure: Number of ships.
Nearly *container ships were serving sea routes worldwide in 2025. This was an increase from just under ships in the previous year,Â
The global ocean fleet
Over the past decade, the number of container ships in the global fleet increased from ships in 2011 to just under 6,800 ships in 2025, while the carrying capacity of the global merchant fleet reached roughly *** billion deadweight tons in 2025. Based on the chartered twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), Mediterranean Shipping Co. is the leading container ship operator worldwide.
The impact of COVID-19 on ports
As of the beginning of March 2020, about 80 blank sailings were announced in global maritime traffic due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with China being the worst-hit region at the beginning. Between the Chinese New Year and mid-March, 108 blank sailings were announced on deep-sea shipping routes due to the pandemic. In Latin America, some ports were negatively affected, while others experienced a year-on-year increase in container traffic in the 1st quarter of 2020.
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UNCTAD. (June 10, 2025). Number of container ships in the global merchant fleet from 2011 to 2025 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from /statistics/198227/forecast-for-global-number-of-containerships-from-2011/
UNCTAD. "Number of container ships in the global merchant fleet from 2011 to 2025." Chart. June 10, 2025. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 28, 2026. /statistics/198227/forecast-for-global-number-of-containerships-from-2011/
UNCTAD. (2025). Number of container ships in the global merchant fleet from 2011 to 2025. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 28, 2026. /statistics/198227/forecast-for-global-number-of-containerships-from-2011/
UNCTAD. "Number of Container Ships in The Global Merchant Fleet from 2011 to 2025." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 10 Jun 2025, /statistics/198227/forecast-for-global-number-of-containerships-from-2011/
UNCTAD, Number of container ships in the global merchant fleet from 2011 to 2025 ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/198227/forecast-for-global-number-of-containerships-from-2011/ (last visited July 28, 2026)
Number of container ships in the global merchant fleet from 2011 to 2025 [Graph], UNCTAD, June 10, 2025. [Online]. Available: /statistics/198227/forecast-for-global-number-of-containerships-from-2011/
