What Global Ship Lease does

Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GSL) is a publicly traded containership lessor founded in 2007 as a spin-off from CMA CGM and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in August 2008. The company owns and operates a fleet of 71 containerships as of March 31, 2026, spanning 2,200 to 11,040 TEU, with 41 wide-beam Post-Panamax vessels forming the fleet's core. Vessels are leased to top-tier global liner operators — Maersk (29.13% of Q1 2026 revenue), CMA CGM (20.75%), Hapag-Lloyd (18.62%), MSC (13.16%), ZIM (7.41%), COSCO, OOCL, ONE, and RCL — under fixed-rate time charters averaging 2.6 years of remaining TEU-weighted contract cover and representing $2.1 billion of contracted revenues.

The fleet's underlying technology centers on fuel-efficient wide-beam Post-Panamax and smaller containerships with ECO designs (consuming 20-30 mt per day less fuel than non-eco tonnage), high reefer capacity for refrigerated cargo, scrubber-fitted Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems for IMO 2020 compliance, and geared configurations for ports with limited shoreside infrastructure. Technical management is handled by Technomar Shipping, Inc. (ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 50001:2011 certified) under an exclusive arrangement established in November 2018, while commercial brokerage is provided exclusively by ConChart Commercial, Inc. — both entities part-owned by Executive Chairman George Youroukos.

The business model is asset-heavy and revenue-predictable: GSL receives fixed daily charter rates (e.g., $47,200/day for CMA CGM Thalassa at 11,040 TEU; $65,000/day for ZIM Norfolk at 9,115 TEU), paid monthly, while charterers bear fuel costs. Q1 2026 generated $198.1 million in operating revenue (up 3.7% year-over-year), $133.2 million in Adjusted EBITDA, and $91.4 million in net income, with fleet utilization of 98.2%. A 15-ship newbuilding orderbook, including 5 newbuildings ($413 million) and 3 acquired vessels ($90 million), is expected to generate more than $1.0 billion of Adjusted EBITDA over a 7.1-year TEU-weighted firm charter term. The company is incorporated in the Marshall Islands with administrative headquarters in Athens, Greece, and investor relations in New York.

Name

Global Ship Lease

Legal name

Global Ship Lease, Inc.

Website

https://globalshiplease.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Global Ship Lease (NYSE:GSL) owns and leases a 71-vessel containership fleet focused on mid-size Post-Panamax and smaller ships to top-tier global liner operators including Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, and ZIM under fixed-rate time charters, generating $198.1M in Q1 2026 revenue with $2.1B contracted.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Container Shipping Leasing

NAICS

Commercial Air, Rail, and Water Transportation Equipment Rental and Leasing (532411)

SIC

Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

Mainline Container Liner Carriers (TLADABAA)

Keywords

• Containership leasing
• Time charter services
• Container shipping fleet
• Ship leasing
• Post-panamax vessels

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Time Charter Leasing: GSL owns containerships and leases them to container shipping companies (liner companies/charterers) under fixed-rate time charters. Under time charters, GSL receives a fixed daily rate and is responsible for vessel maintenance, crewing, lubricants, insurance and daily technical operations, while charterers pay fuel costs. Charter periods vary from short-term (spot market, typically 12 months or less) to multi-year fixtures (5+ years). Revenue is predictable and backed by contracted charter agreements.
2. Vessel Sales: Opportunistic monetization of selected non-core assets through forward sales of vessels upon expiry of their charters. GSL has entered into agreements for forward sales of ships including Manet, Kumasi, and Ian H.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Global Ship Lease owns and operates a fleet of 71 containerships as of March 31, 2026, leasing them to container shipping companies (liner operators) under fixed-rate time charters. The company focuses on mid-size Post-Panamax and smaller containerships ranging from 2,200 to 11,040 TEU, serving non-Mainlane and intra-regional trade routes. GSL is responsible for vessel maintenance, crewing, lubricants, insurance, and daily technical operations, while charterers pay fuel costs.

Product overview

Global Ship Lease is a containership owner and lessor operating a fleet of 71 vessels as of March 31, 2026. The company offers a portfolio of mid-size and smaller containerships leased to container shipping companies under fixed-rate time charters. The fleet spans various TEU capacities including wide-beam Post-Panamax vessels (8,500-11,040 TEU), mid-size containerships (5,900-6,100 TEU), and feeder-sized vessels (2,200-3,500 TEU). The company provides integrated services including technical management through Technomar Shipping and commercial management through ConChart Commercial, supporting chartering and vessel sale/purchase activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Containership Leasing Services Global Ship Lease owns and operates a fleet of 71 containerships as of March 31, 2026, leasing them to container shipping companies under industry-standard, fixed-rate time charters. The company focuses on mid-size Post-Panamax and smaller containerships ranging from 2,200 to 11,040 TEU, serving non-Mainlane and intra-regional trade routes. GSL is responsible for vessel maintenance, crewing, lubricants, insurance, and daily technical operations while charterers pay fuel costs. Charter periods range from short-term (spot market, typically 12 months or less) to multi-year fixtures (5+ years).
• Wide-Beam Post-Panamax Containerships (8,500-11,040 TEU) Wide-beam Post-Panamax containerships including 11,000 TEU and ECO 9,100 TEU vessels designed for fuel efficiency and high reefer capacity, with 41 ships in this category as of March 2026. These vessels provide improved vessel stability, reduced ballast water needs, lower fuel consumption, and higher cargo carrying capacity.
• Mid-Size Containerships (5,900-6,100 TEU) Mid-size containerships with capacity ranging from 5,900 to 6,100 TEU, providing operational flexibility for non-mainlane and intra-regional trade routes.
• Feeder Containerships (2,200-3,500 TEU) Smaller containerships including Geared 3,500 TEU and Geared 2,200-2,500 TEU vessels equipped with onboard cranes for ports with limited shoreside infrastructure.
• Technical Management Services Technical management of vessels handled by Technomar Shipping, Inc., including maintenance, crewing, insurance, and daily technical operations. Technomar holds ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 50001:2011 certifications and manages 105 ships as of December 31, 2021.
• Commercial Management Services Exclusive brokerage agreement with ConChart Commercial, Inc. supporting day-to-day commercial activities including chartering and sale and purchase transactions. ConChart's specialist chartering and S&P brokers enable GSL to diversify chartering relationships and maximize commercial uptime.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98.2% fleet utilization in Q1 2026
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Technomar Shipping, Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 15 November 2018Technomar handles technical management of the entire GSL fleet including crewing, maintenance, repairs, insurance, and daily technical operations. Also provides supplementary services including finance and accounting, invoicing, legal support, and HSQE. Established in 1994 with 105 ships under management as of December 31, 2021. Paid fixed daily fee per vessel on arm's-length commercial terms using BIMCO ShipMan form. Part-owned by Executive Chairman George Youroukos.
• ConChart Commercial, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2010Exclusive brokerage agreement for day-to-day commercial activities including chartering and sale/purchase transactions. ConChart established in 2010 with specialist chartering and S&P brokers. Strong commercial network enables GSL to diversify chartering relationships and maximize commercial uptime while minimizing fixed overheads. Paid industry-standard brokerage on transactions. Owned by Executive Chairman George Youroukos.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CMA CGM: Third-largest global container liner and GSL's founding parent (spun out in 2007). GSL's second-largest customer (20.75% of Q1 2026 revenue) and a direct competitor in the sense that CMA CGM also operates its own chartered fleet.
• Hapag-Lloyd AG: Fourth-largest global container liner and GSL's third-largest customer (18.62% of Q1 2026 revenue). Hapag-Lloyd operates a large owned and chartered fleet, intersecting with GSL across multiple vessel classes.
• ZIM Integrated Shipping Services: NYSE-listed container liner carrier and GSL customer (7.41% of Q1 2026 revenue). An asset-light liner that relies heavily on chartered tonnage, making ZIM a structurally important counterparty for GSL.
• Maersk (A.P. Moller-Maersk): World's largest container liner carrier and GSL's largest customer (29.13% of Q1 2026 revenue). As a vertically integrated operator with both owned and chartered tonnage, Maersk is a key customer and a benchmark for charter-rate dynamics GSL captures.

Direct peers

• Costamare Inc. NYSE-listed containership lessor operating a fleet of mid-size and larger Post-Panamax vessels (including newbuildings) under time charters to global liner operators. Directly comparable to GSL in vessel class, charter structure, and customer base.
• Capital Product Partners: Previously a publicly traded containership/tanker lessor with a history of time-chartered tonnage to liner operators. Comparable lease-and-charter business model and similar customer relationships; smaller in pure container exposure.
• Danaos Corporation: NYSE-listed containership owner and lessor with a fleet of similar-sized Post-Panamax and feeder vessels under multi-year time charters to liner companies. Same business model, customer base, and end-market as GSL, making it the closest direct peer.
• Seaspan Corporation: Major NYSE-listed containership lessor with one of the largest independent fleet sizes, focused on fixed-rate time charters with top-tier liner operators. Closest large-scale competitor to GSL in the asset-heavy containership leasing model.

Regional players

• Yang Ming Marine Transport: Taiwan-based mid-tier container liner carrier with global services. Adjacent peer in the container shipping ecosystem, supplementing peer set with regional Asia-based liner capabilities similar to GSL's CSX and OOCL customer segments.
• Evergreen Marine Corporation: Taiwan-listed, one of the world's largest container liner operators with a primarily Asia-based service network. While not a direct containership lessor, it is a comparable counterparty in the broader container shipping ecosystem and uses similar time-chartered tonnage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-ship-lease

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Ship Lease