Mediterranean Shipping Company

Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC) is the world's second largest shipping line in terms of container vessel capacity. MSC operates 444 vessels and has a capacity of . The Geneva-based company operates in all major ports of the world.

History

MSC was founded in 1970 as a private company by Gianluigi Aponte when he bought his first ship, Patricia, followed by Rafaela, with which Aponte began a shipping line operating between the Mediterranean and Somalia. The line subsequently expanded through the purchase of second-hand cargo ships. By 1977, the company operated services to northern Europe, Africa and the Indian Ocean. The expansion continued through the 1980s; by the end of the decade, MSC operated ships to North America and Australia.

In 1989, MSC purchased the cruise ship operator Lauro Lines, renamed to Mediterranean Shipping Cruises (MSC Cruises) in 1995, and subsequently increased the cruising business.

In 1994, the line ordered its first newly constructed ships, which were delivered beginning in 1996 with MSC Alexa. They were built by Italian shipbuilder, Fincantieri.

The company today

MSC serves 270 ports worldwide on the six continents. 350 local offices, employing a total of 29,000 people, provide an agency network representation. Vessels with up to a capacity of , including one of the largest...
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