Maersk Line has lost market share this year because of a lack of vessel capacity and a shortage of containers.

Over the first nine months of the year, the Danish shipping line - along with sister company Safmarine - saw volumes climb by just over 5% year on year, to 5.4 million 40ft containers.

The CEO of parent firm AP Moller Maersk, Nils Andersen, admitted third-quarter volume growth was lower than that of some rivals.

He said this was partly due to Maersk taking market share from competitors in the third quarter of 2009 - some of which had been lost this year - and also because of capacity and equipment shortages.

Andersen said: "We did not really see a decline [in volumes] in 2009. [Unlike some of our competitors,] we only went down 1%, so we took a lot of share last year."

"Unfortunately we had to give back some of that share this year, partly because we have been leading rate increases, but the main reason is that we have not had capacity available at all times."

"We have been sailing very full and we have had a lack of equipment - containers - during the first half and also into the third quarter."

He said he hoped the problem could be solved by deliveries of new vessels for African and South American services in March 2011, and by chartering extra vessels.