Shipping operators

Working seafarer's guide to the 25 major container, bulk, tanker, LNG, and PCTC operators — the carriers that actually own and run the merchant fleet, distinct from the manning agencies and ship managers indexed at /companies. Each profile covers parent group, fleet size, typical contract length, pay tier, primary trade segment, and what to expect when joining. Pay tier is relative to other operators in the same segment, not across segments — a "high" pay-tier on a bulk carrier still differs from a "high" pay-tier on LNG.

• MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
  850 vessels · Container · HQ Geneva, Switzerland · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line)
  800 vessels · Diversified (bulk + LNG + PCTC + container) · HQ Tokyo, Japan · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL)
  730 vessels · Diversified (bulk + LNG + PCTC + container) · HQ Tokyo, Japan · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• A.P. Moller-Maersk
  700 vessels · Container · HQ Copenhagen, Denmark · 4-6 month contracts · high pay tier
• CMA CGM Group
  620 vessels · Container · HQ Marseille, France · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• COSCO SHIPPING Lines
  500 vessels · Container · HQ Shanghai, China · 6-9 month contracts · mid pay tier
• Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line)
  440 vessels · Diversified (bulk + LNG + PCTC) · HQ Tokyo, Japan · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• Hapag-Lloyd
  290 vessels · Container · HQ Hamburg, Germany · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• Pacific Basin Shipping
  250 vessels · Bulk (small) · HQ Hong Kong, Hong Kong · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• Ocean Network Express (ONE)
  230 vessels · Container · HQ Singapore, Singapore · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• Evergreen Marine
  220 vessels · Container · HQ Taipei, Taiwan · 6-9 month contracts · mid pay tier
• Star Bulk Carriers
  160 vessels · Bulk (large) · HQ Athens, Greece · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• ZIM Integrated Shipping Services
  150 vessels · Container · HQ Haifa, Israel · 4-6 month contracts · mid pay tier
• Wan Hai Lines
  150 vessels · Container · HQ Taipei, Taiwan · 6-9 month contracts · mid pay tier
• Sovcomflot (SCF Group)
  130 vessels · Tanker (crude + product + LNG) · HQ St Petersburg, Russia · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL)
  110 vessels · Container · HQ Hong Kong, Hong Kong · 6-9 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• Scorpio Tankers
  110 vessels · Product tanker (MR + LR) · HQ Monaco, Monaco · 4-6 month contracts · high pay tier
• Yang Ming Marine Transport
  90 vessels · Container · HQ Keelung, Taiwan · 6-9 month contracts · mid pay tier
• Pacific International Lines (PIL)
  90 vessels · Container · HQ Singapore, Singapore · 6-9 month contracts · mid pay tier
• Frontline Ltd.
  80 vessels · Tanker (crude + product) · HQ Limassol, Cyprus · 4-6 month contracts · high pay tier
• HMM (Hyundai Merchant Marine)
  75 vessels · Container · HQ Seoul, South Korea · 6-9 month contracts · mid-high pay tier
• Euronav (now CMB.TECH)
  75 vessels · Tanker (VLCC + Suezmax) · HQ Antwerp, Belgium · 4-6 month contracts · high pay tier
• Teekay Corporation / Teekay Tankers
  50 vessels · Tanker + offshore · HQ Hamilton, Bermuda · 4-6 month contracts · high pay tier
• Torvald Klaveness Group
  50 vessels · Bulk + product dual-cargo · HQ Oslo, Norway · 4-6 month contracts · high pay tier
• Diana Shipping
  40 vessels · Bulk · HQ Athens, Greece · 4-6 month contracts · mid-high pay tier