Cargo Shipping Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

Cargo shipping market is analyzed to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% during the forecast period 2021-2026 to reach $15,328.65 million tons. Cargo shipping generally refers to the mode of transportation of goods or cargos via sea using container ships or vessels. Different types of vessels are used according to the shipping requirement of the end-users including tankers, reefer vessels, multi-purpose vessels, and so on. Owing to lesser costs along with optimum safe or secured transportation and larger load carrying capacity serves as the key advantages for the sea freight transport compared to others. Factors such as growing initiatives towards enhancing port infrastructures rise of favourable trade agreements, technological advancements and so on are some of the major driving factors impacting the growth of cargo shipping services. In addition, development of low emission container ships to reduce environmental hazards for the water bodies as well as rise of global supply chains can further help in significantly increasing the need for cargo shipping services in the long run.

The report: “Cargo Shipping Industry Outlook – Forecast (2021-2026)”, by IndustryARC covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Cargo Shipping industry. 

By Type: Linear Ships, Tramp Ships.

By Cargo Type: Passenger, Liquid, Container, Dry, General, Bulk, Others.

By Vessel Type: Multi-Purpose Vessels, Dry-Bulk Carriers, Tankers, Container Vessels, Bulk Vessels, Reefer Vessels, Ro-Ro Vessels, Others.

By Vessel Cargo Capacity: <1000 TEU, 1000-4000 TEU, 4000-8000 TEU, 8000-12000 TEU, 12000-16000 TEU, 16000-20000 TEU, >20000 TEU.

By End Use Industry: Food and Beverages, Electrical & Electronics, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Metal and Mining, Logistics and E-commerce, Consumer Goods, Chemicals, Medical and Pharmaceutical, Others.

By Geography: North America, South America, Europe, APAC and RoW.

By vessel type, the cargo shipping market is segmented into multi-purpose vessels, dry-bulk carriers, tankers, container vessels, bulk vessels, reefer vessels, ro-ro vessels and many others. Tankers had dominated the cargo shipping market with $3234.07 million tons in 2020 and are analyzed to grow at a CAGR of 3.4% during the forecast period 2021-2026. Tankers generally refers to those cargo shipping vessels used in transportation of bulks of liquids and gases, which had emerged as an ideal mode of transportation for chemicals, petrochemicals as well as gas refineries. Oil tankers, chemical tankers, gas carriers are some of the common type of tankers utilized for serving applications based on load carrying capacities for the shipping goods. Compared to other types, these vessels are capable of offering advantages be it longer sailing, involvement of lesser number of ports and so on, thus creating its higher adoption within marine transportation facilities. Factors such as economic slowdown owing to COVID-19, decarbonization measures as well as dropping oil prices are some of the threats encountering the tanker vessels across cargo shipping markets. However, with slow economic recovery post the global pandemic situation, the demand towards crude oil imports or exports are bound to surge in order to begin with various industrial or commercial operations, thereby promoting the market growth of tankers in the long run. In 2021, Shell had signed an agreement to charter crude tankers including very large crude carriers from Advantage Tankers, AET and International Seaways, powered with dual-fuel liquefied natural gas engines. Owing to capability of lowest possible methane slip and highest fuel efficiency with an average 20% less fuel consumption, this is further anticipated to mark an important step towards increasing LNG-fuelled vessels on the water by 2023.

By vessel cargo capacity, the cargo shipping market is segmented under <1000 TEU, 1000-4000 TEU, 4000-8000 TEU, 8000-12000 TEU, 12000-16000 TEU, 16000-20000 TEU and >20000 TEU. Vessel cargo capacity of 12000-16000 TEU had held the largest share in the cargo shipping market with of $3269.44 million tons in 2020, thus analyzed to grow further with a CAGR of 4.0% during 2021-2026. Neo panamax vessels with capacity (10000-14500 TEU) and ultra-large container vessels with capacity (14500 and above) have been considered under this segment. Neo panamax refers to those medium to large sized vessels, capable of carrying about 19 rows of containers with a beam of 43 m, with comparable size of Suezmax tankers, while ultra large container vessels are considered as the biggest container ships with capabilities being at least 366 meters long, 49 meters wide, draught of at least 15.2 meters, causing its dominance within the hazardous end-use markets. Due to flexibility perspective, vessels with load carrying capacity ranging from 10000 to 15000 TEU are generally capable of allowing carriers to deploy largest ships which can traverse Panama Canal, gaining popularity in transport of goods including metal ores, coal and so on. In 2020, Evergreen Line had revealed about delivering two 12000 TEU class F-type container ships, featuring an optimized hull design as well as a smart ship system. Since these containers are equipped with a main engine of 58,000 horsepower, along with preventing containers on the deck from affecting the view from the bridge as well as maximizing cargo loadability prior to its configuration, these vessels are further analyzed to create a significant impact towards the market growth of cargo vessels with 12000 TEU capacity in the long run.

APAC had accounted for the largest share of $6589.12 Million Tons in 2020, analyzed to grow with a CAGR of 4.1% for the Cargo Shipping market during the forecast period 2021-2026. Growth of various end-use industries including food & beverage, consumer goods and so on, initiatives towards improving as well as incorporating new trade agreements, improving sea port infrastructures, rising technological advancements along with many others can be considered as some of the crucial factors which had attributed towards the market growth of cargo shipping across APAC region. Presence of some of the key cargo shipping companies including Evergreen Marine, Mitsui O.S.K Lines Ltd., Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, Pacific International Lines and others have also helped in creating a positive impact within the Asia-Pacific ocean freight shipping facilities. Partnerships, expansion, R & D investments and so on were considered as some of the key strategies adopted by the market players to drive cargo shipping services within the region. In 2020, Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation announced about expanding its Intra-Asia service networking through extending Japan-Taiwan-South China Express (JTS) to Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. This expansion was meant to optimize the competitiveness between Japan, Taiwan, South China as well as Southeast Asia, while improving the linkage connection of Yang Ming’s main port, Kaohsiung. Such factors are further set to create a positive impact towards adoption of these shipping services in order to facilitate sea transport in the long run.

Growing initiatives towards improving port infrastructures either by governmental support or shipping company investments can be analyzed as one of the major drivers impacting the growth of cargo shipping during the forecast period 2021-2026. Port infrastructure plays a crucial role in cargo shipping operations be it handling of bulks of goods, which had been creating high need towards upgrading, modernizing or constructing new ports to support growing trade businesses around the world. Increasing demand towards consumer products, crude oil and many other related commodities have been also raising the requirement of infrastructural growth of sea ports in order to help in meeting the consumer demands overtime. Factors such as adaptive secured communication, IT architecture and so on within the ports are getting introduced to benefit strategic traffic while assisting ship infrastructures, thus positively impacting the cargo shipping growth. Sea port infrastructures have been also getting upgraded with advanced handling systems capable of autonomous or semi-autonomous operation to achieve higher throughput levels. In addition, government along with various private infrastructure companies across developed as well as developing countries have started to focus towards establishing new ports, upgrade or expand the existing ones through investments as a move towards supporting growing trade volumes. In 2021, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) had revealed about completing its acquisition of Dighi Port Ltd for a value of INR 705 cr (around $97million), alongside an investment of INR 10,000 cr (around $1375 million) to upgrade the existing port into a multi-cargo port. Such measures are further set to boost the market growth of cargo shipping industry in near future.

Increasing number of favourable trade agreements in a motive towards enhancing the trade business between countries can be considered as one of the major driving factors impacting the growth of cargo shipping market. Trade agreements are essential towards helping the importers or businesses access to low cost goods at reasonable prices, making it one of the crucial factors to drive better and optimum level of sea trades. Regional trade agreements have been increasing over the years towards extending geographic reach within the last five years, including significant increase in pluri lateral agreements with negotiations, as a way behind improving bilateral relations between developed as well as developing economies across the world. In 2020, various Asia-Pacific countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, Singapore and Vietnam had signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), making it one of the largest free-trade agreements. This trade agreement was meant to focus at lowering tariffs, increasing investment as well as streamlining customs procedures in order to facilitate free movement of goods. Such initiatives are further set to strengthen the economic integration between these member countries, while creating more growth opportunities in the cargo shipping market in the long run.

Growing incidences of cargo rollover due to ocean freight supply chain issues act as one of the major challenging factors restraining the market growth of cargo shipping. Cargo rollover situations arise mainly due to growing levels of demand at times of usually low volume or traditional seasonal decline in cargo flows, which tends to create shipping delays. Owing to the increase of container demand from U.S as well as Europe terminals and carriers, the Asian port hubs witnessed a rapid surge in cargo rollover in December 2020. Prior to economic shutdowns amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, there was recovering demand from U.S and Europe during the second half of 2020, resulting in creating disruption in the container shipping sector. Moreover, growing rollover incidences result towards clogging in major ports, forcing various carriers to cancel out sailing in order to catch up with the disrupted schedules. Supply chain disruptions are further poised to continue post the pandemic situation, prior to incapability of meeting increasing shipping requirements simultaneously, thus analyzed to hamper the market growth of cargo shipping services. Additionally, shift towards alternatives like air cargo transport can also adversely impact the cargo shipping prior to ocean freight supply chain disruptions as well as port clogging issues in the long run.

Product launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the Cargo Shipping market. The key players in the Cargo Shipping market include A.P Moller-Maersk Group, CMA CGM Group, Evergreen Marine, Hapag-Lloyd, Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A (MSC), China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO), Hamburg Sud Group, Mitsui O.S.K Lines, Ltd., Pacific International Lines (PIL) and Yang Mang Marine Transport Corporation among others.

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