MSC Group is stepping up its investment in car carriers, with subsidiary Global Car Carriers (GCC) now listing 48 ships across its existing fleet and orderbook, comprising 22 existing vessels and 26 newbuildings. Four more 8,600-car newbuildings and a secondhand acquisition have lifted the total from the 43 ships reported by Xinde Marine News on 29 October. The Norwegian owner’s newbuilding programme has more than doubled since July, with deliveries now extending to 2031.

Four More Orders Take the Programme to 26 Ships

GCC’s fleet list, reviewed on 10 November 2026, identifies Viking NB 23 and Viking NB 24 as two additional 8,600-car-equivalent-unit (CEU) pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) at Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard. Both LNG dual-fuel vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2030. A further pair, Viking NB 25 and Viking NB 26, is listed at China Merchants’ Weihai yard for delivery in 2031. The additions take Changhong’s GCC programme to four ships and Weihai’s to ten, including two 7,000-CEU vessels.

The ordering sequence shows how quickly MSC is building its position. GCC had 12 newbuildings listed in July, rising to 20 in September and 22 in October. The latest total of 26 represents an increase of 14 ships, or approximately 117% in around four months. Its orderbook now exceeds the 22 existing vessels on its fleet list, committing the company to a substantial expansion beyond the ships it already owns or controls. Xinde Marine News

A Secondhand Acquisition Adds to the Fleet

The increase to 48 also includes an existing vessel. Ship ownership records reviewed by Xinde Marine News show that the 2013-built Ocean Eva, IMO 9667344, was recorded under the name Viking Ningbo in October 2026, with GCC Shipowning 9 AS replacing Shandong Taiping Shipping Co as registered owner. GCC now lists the Imabari-built ship as a 6,200-CEU car carrier under the Marshall Islands flag. The ownership change provides evidence of a secondhand acquisition alongside the growing newbuilding programme.

The vessel’s IMO number identifies it as the former Fremantle Highway, which suffered a major fire off the Netherlands in July 2023. The ownership record, updated on 8 November, continues to classify the ship as being in casualty or under repair, and does not establish a return to commercial service.

Five Chinese Yards Share the Entire Orderbook

All 26 newbuildings are allocated to Chinese shipyards. The programme comprises 22 vessels of 8,600 CEU and four of 7,000 CEU, with combined nominal capacity of 217,200 CEU. China Merchants’ Yizheng and Weihai facilities account for 16 ships, giving the group the largest share of GCC’s investment.

The delivery schedule calls for four ships in 2028, nine in 2029, eleven in 2030 and two in 2031. Changhong’s growing role also extends MSC’s existing relationship with the yard from containerships into vehicle carriers. By adding another pair after its initial two-ship PCTC order, GCC is turning that entry into a four-vessel series.

MSC Turns a Corporate Takeover into Fleet Investment

The expansion follows MSC’s approximately US$700 million acquisition of the former Gram Car Carriers in 2024. MSC’s wholly owned subsidiary SAS Shipping Agencies Services Sàrl completed its cash offer on 24 July that year, securing approximately 97.81% of the shares before proceeding with a compulsory acquisition of the remainder. The business was subsequently taken private and announced its change of name to Global Car Carriers in May 2026, retaining the GCC initials.

MSC acquired an established shipowning business with specialist staff, customer relationships and experience in the car carrier charter market. It is now expanding that platform through repeated ship orders. GCC supplies vessels to global and regional vehicle-shipping operators, which organise the voyages and contract with automotive customers. Its earnings depend on the ships and their charter employment, giving MSC exposure to vehicle transportation through the supply of tonnage across multiple operators and trades.

For those operators, a larger GCC fleet could provide more ships for route expansion and fleet replacement without requiring them to fund every newbuilding themselves. For GCC, the growing orderbook creates a larger pipeline of assets to place under charter. The concentration of deliveries in 2029 and 2030 makes the timing of employment agreements particularly important: the company will be bringing a sizeable volume of new capacity to customers over a relatively short period.

Larger Ships Reshape the Business as GCC Pursues 60 Vessels

The new ships will also change GCC’s fleet profile. Its existing vessels range from 2,000 to 7,000 CEU, while the newbuilding programme is dominated by the larger 8,600-CEU class. The growing concentration of larger ships points to a greater role in supplying deep-sea vehicle carrier capacity. The change in carrying capacity will be greater than a simple comparison of vessel numbers suggests. Xinde Marine News

Part of the propulsion programme has already been disclosed. Everllence announced on 15 June that four GCC vessels at China Merchants Jinling would receive its 6S60ME-GI Mk10.7 engines, manufactured by CSSC Engine Co., Ltd. in Qingdao. The order was the first commercial application of the new methane dual-fuel engine platform. For a shipowner serving different charterers over a vessel’s working life, fuel flexibility and operating efficiency are central to maintaining the ships’ commercial appeal.

Chief executive Georg A. Whist has previously told ShippingWatch that GCC aims to expand from 22 vessels to as many as 60, describing the greater flexibility available under MSC ownership. The latest additions show the pace at which the company is committing to that ambition. With 26 ships now ordered and the construction programme stretching into 2031, MSC is securing a much larger position in the future supply of car carrier tonnage, with the first wave of new deliveries scheduled to begin in 2028.