MSC spending spree leaps higher

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest containerline, has embarked on its most aggressive acquisition campaign of the year, snapping up more than 10 panamax and post-panamax vessels in May alone, according to sales registers and shipbrokers.

The buying spree, described as the busiest of 2025 so far, includes a mix of chartered vessels MSC is now taking ownership of, and strategic second-hand purchases amid a cooling charter market.

Among the most high-profile deals, MB Shipbrokers confirmed that MSC has bid $38.5m for the Navios Tempo, a 4,249 teu panamax containership built in 2010 by New Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and sold by Navios Maritime Partners.

VesselsValue data also reveals that MSC has exercised purchase options on a fleet of seven panamax vessels, each with a capacity of about 4,100 teu and built in 2002 by Samsung Heavy Industries. The ships — MSC Katya R, MSC Vidisha R, MSC Julia R, MSC Anisha R, MSC Arushi R, MSC Zlata R, and MSC Vaishnavi R — were previously owned by John Fredriken’s SFL Corporation, a longtime MSC partner.

In the post-panamax segment, MSC has acquired the MSC Aquarius and Athens Glory, two 6,492 teu ships built in 2003 by Japan’s IHI. Purchased from Cyprus Sea Lines at $44m apiece, both vessels are equipped with scrubbers.

Another notable addition is the Dimitris Y, a 5,936 teu post-panamax built in 2000 by Kvaerner Warnow Werft in Germany. MSC acquired the vessel from Global Ship Lease for $36m, making it the oldest vessel in this latest wave of acquisitions.

Industry observers note that many of these vessels were already on charter to MSC, aligning with the company’s strategy of securing operational control over familiar assets.