The Singapore-headquartered X-Press Feeders (ranked 13th in Alphaliner’s top 100) has expanded its operated fleet by 13% or 22,500 teu since September 2024. By comparison, the global liner fleet grew by 8% in the same period.
Conversely, Unifeeder (ranked 15th) has seen a more subdued increase, adding 12,500 teu to its operated slots for a growth rate of 9%.
The pace of growth for both carriers has slowed significantly compared to the previous year. Last year’s increase was predominantly fuelled by the Red Sea crisis, which forced most mainline operators (MLOs) to avoid the Suez Canal and rely more heavily on third-party feeder operators.
X-Press Feeders’ surge in capacity was mainly driven by thriving Latin America (LatAm) and Middle East/Indian Subcontinent (ME/ISC) trades. While in LatAm, X-Press grew by 53% or 9,200 teu compared to September 2024, the carrier deployed 8% or 8,700 teu more in the ME/ISC trade.
The largest portion of Unifeeder’s 12,500 teu capacity injection stemmed from the intra-Europe trade, which saw a net addition of 11,000 teu. This expansion was largely driven by its intra-Med affiliate Unimed Feeder Services (UFS), which added ten vessels, accounting for 9,700 teu of new slots.
Source: Alphaliner
