Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has knocked Maersk Group off the throne of the world's largest container shipping company, according to analyst Alphaliner.

The latest figures from Alphaliner show that MSC leads Maersk by 1888 teu for the first time. MSC has 645 vessels with a total capacity of 4,284,728 teu, while Maersk has 738 vessels with a total capacity of 4,282,840 teu.

MSC has been expected for some time to overtake Maersk as the world's largest container shipping company due to the company's large new build order book and recently acquired second-hand and charter tonnage.

Both routes currently have a market share of 17%, well above its nearest competitor CMA CGM's 12.6% market share and 3.17 million TEU capacity.

MSC will significantly extend its lead over Maersk in capacity with orders for 60 new ships over the next few years, which will be close to 1 million teu, or 23% of its existing fleet. In contrast, Maersk's order book represents only 6% of its current fleet of 25 vessels with a combined capacity of 255,100 teu.

Over the past 12 months, Maersk's expansion and investments have focused on logistics and e-commerce rather than the physical assets of container ships.