5. China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO)
Operated under the COSCO Group, COSCO Shipping Ports Ltd. is a major player in the global ports and terminal field. It merged with the China Shipping Group in 2016 and undertook further expansion. It owns and operates over a thousand vessels that call at thousands of ports around the globe. It has the third-largest group of container ships in the commercial sector and is one of the leading Chinese companies dealing in shipping. It operates terminals in several countries in Asia and the Americas with designated divisions to handle each of the regions.
The COSCO Shipping Ports division deals with handling container cargo arriving at its terminals on a daily basis. It also has operations out of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore, and Japan that caters to shipping in their respective regions. The company also deals in shipbuilding, repair, maintenance, freight handling, and other auxiliary services. It has numerous interests in other domains including the trade, finance, container handling, real estate, and IT sector. COSCO has taken part in several major mergers and acquisitions in an effort to consolidate its position as a top terminal operator.
6. China Merchants Port Holdings Company
The China Merchants Ports is a major terminal operator and shipping firm that has its headquarters in Hong Kong, China. It has numerous interests in the maritime sector including port management, terminal operation, cargo transportation, logistics, and supply chain management. It is also invested in the air cargo and paint production sectors.
It operates primarily in and around China and has bases in several prominent locations. It operates from the ports of Qingdao, Tianjin, Shanghai, Ningbo Zhoushan, and Shenzhen, which are all classified as the busiest and largest ports in the world. It has operations in the Pearly River Delta that witnesses container traffic from all over the world due to its proximity to several important Straits and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This company makes it to our top terminals list due to the large stake it has in the Chinese port sector and the large trade volume that passes through it on a daily basis.
7. Terminal Investment Limited (TIL)
Having completed nearly 2 decades in the terminal industry, TIL is one of the largest port management and terminal operation companies with bases and services all around the world. It currently has 37 operating terminals and a further 2 in development.
TIL primarily services ships owned and operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). Its services include berth securing, terminal management, and other auxiliary functions. It also takes on other companies for terminal management on a contractual basis.
TIL’s terminals are located in geographically important regions that witnesses a large influx and outflow of container vessels. It operates in several transshipment hubs in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It also operates in several key ports and services major shipping routes and lines. These reasons make it a fast-growing company with the potential for further global expansion.
8. International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI)
ICTSI is a port management firm based out of the Philippines that has been involved in the terminal and port operations industry for over 30 years. It has bases in 18 different countries and operates 18 terminals in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions.
It deals with up to 3 million TEUs annually in addition to processing other types of bulk and loose cargo. It operates numerous terminals within its home base in the Philippines and has began large scale global expansion. Outside this base, it primarily services ports in South America and Africa. It is considered to be one of the leading port terminal operators due to the rapid development and increasing global presence.
9. Eurogate Container Terminal Ltd.
Eurogate is a majorly European terminal operator that works out of Bremen, Germany. Although it was a leading terminal firm, it has witnessed a significant decline owing to its limited customer base during the last decade.
Eurogate operates mainly within Europe and has terminals in Bremen, Hamburg, Limassol, Salerno, and Lisbon in addition to another four European terminals. Outside Europe, it has only a single base in Tangier, Morocco. It faced problems associated with expansion from its rival port operators in the 2000s, and thus lost much of its market share. However, in an effort to expand, it has now begun working on setting up operations in other neighbouring nations outside Europe. Out of the companies on this list, it is by far the smallest. However, it has bases in important regions of Europe that make it a significant operator in the field.
10. Evergreen Marine Corporation (EMC)
EMC is a Taiwanese firm that deals in a large variety of maritime and shipping related activities. It is involved in container handling, transportation, shipping, port management, container manufacturing, shipbuilding, and real estate. It has operations in several countries through its shipping and terminal divisions, including in Taiwan (Uniglory Marine), Evergreen UK (UK), and Italia Maittima (Italy) that jointly operate.
It operates two main classes of terminals- transhipment hubs, and other container hubs. Two transhipment hubs are based primarily out of Taiwan, namely Taichung and Kaohsiung Container Terminals. There is another facility called the Colon Container Terminal based in Panama. Their other container terminals in the US are based in California (Evergreen Los Angeles Terminal and Oakland Evergreen Terminal), and Washington (Tacoma Evergreen Pierce County Container Terminal). There are several major container terminals in Asia (Thailand, Taiwan), Europe (Italy, UK), and the Middle East.
EMC also operates a highly successful shipping line that services destinations all over the world including Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. It operates a fleet of 150 container vessels that call at over 200 ports.
11. SSA Marine
SSA Marine is an American terminal operator that is predominantly based out of markets in and around the US. It has operations across five continents and services 250 various locations. Outside the US, it has interests and operations in Mexico, Panama, and Chile. It has also made initial investments into the South East Asian region in an effort to expand globally.
It provides several other services in addition to terminal operation. It offers terminal management, rail yard operations, technology design, warehousing, feasibility studies, and equipment procurement. It has numerous interests in auxiliary maritime sectors and is rapidly aiming at expanding its operations into Europe and Asia.
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