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Ocean & Coastal Transportation in the US Industry Data and Analysis
The container shipping industry faces mounting pressure from overcapacity, highlighting the sector’s current struggles and raising concerns about market stability. Vessel additions that were intended to ease past supply shortages have instead flooded the market, driving down freight rates and squeezing operator profit. Although increased chartering initially helped meet strong demand, the resulting capacity surplus has ultimately eroded profitability across the sector. In response, operators are focusing on cost‑reduction measures and investing in more sophisticated freight and capacity forecasting tools to stabilize their operations. At the same time, higher energy costs linked to tensions with Iran are pushing up bunker fuel costs, prompting carriers to introduce surcharges to provide some margin relief, even as persistent capacity growth keeps rates under pressure. A potential ceasefire could ease fuel costs but might also allow freight rates to fall back toward more typical market levels, creating uncertainty for revenue growth and leaving the overall impact on the industry difficult to predict.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2016-2031. The most recent publication was released June 2026.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States operates under the NAICS industry code 48311. This industry provides deep-sea, coastal and Great Lakes water transportation, including using the St. Lawrence Seaway. It encompasses both US-flagged and non-US-flagged vessels. Marine transportation services active on the St. Lawrence River are part of the Great Lakes Water Transportation System and, therefore, are included in this report. The industry also provides deep-sea passenger services, such as cruise ships. Related terms covered in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States include containerized, st. lawrence seaway, deadweight tonnage, conference, flag of convenience and teu.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States include Deep-sea passenger transportation, Deep-sea freight transportation and Coastal and Great Lakes freight transportation.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States include Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and AP Moller - Maersk Group.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States in 2026?
The market size of the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States is $61.1bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States in 2026?
There are 878 businesses in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States, which has grown at a CAGR of 1.7 % between 2021 and 2026.
How may import tariffs affect the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States?
The Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States?
The Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States has been growing at a CAGR of 19.7 % between 2021 and 2026.
What is the forecast growth of the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States?
The biggest companies operating in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States are Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and AP Moller - Maersk Group
What does the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States include?
Deep-sea water transportation and Coastal water transportation are part of the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States?
The company holding the most market share in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States is Carnival Corporation.
How competitive is the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States?
The level of competition is moderate and increasing in the Ocean & Coastal Transportation industry in the United States.
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