The theoretical part of this doctoral thesis presents (theoretical) features of container liner shipping, along with a detailed structure of the global container capacity and turnover. Container liner service design procedures and phases have been subject to research and presented by the typology. It has been concluded that container liner services, with regard to the scope and modality of the transport service supplied, may be categorized as: „port to port“ direct and indirect services and „door to door“ direct and indirect services. Based on a systematically performed analysis of container liner service evaluation criteria, it has been concluded that there are no generally accepted criteria at all and a survey has been carried out among shipping agents both worldwide as well as in Croatia with a view to collect a fund of criteria to be ranked from a user's point of view. Using scientific methodology, the selected quantitative and qualitative criteria have been synthetized which reflect technological and organizational features of the multimodal transport service performed by shipowners. The selected five criteria are: the economical-commercial, reliability and continuity, availability, documentary and the relations with users criteria. Every single criterion is further divided into subcriteria. Based on the analysis performed, the paper presents a model proposal for a multi criteria optimization of container liner service by AHP method aimed, from a user’s point of view, at singling out the best service type from among the four on offer, on the basis of the selected five basic criteria with twentyfour subcriteria. The model outcome suggests the conclusion that the „door to door“ direct service represents the best variant for users. The proposed model may be useful to all those involved in multimodal transport services, in accepting the universal technological and organizational components of the multimodal transport service and its quantitative and qualitative criteria and subcriteria, with a detailed way to establish the comparative importance of (sub)criteria and the comparative preference for alternatives. The model may be used in practice and may be adapted to different specific situations (extension of criteria with subcriteria and alternatives, interviewing actual users on different markets, and the like). The thesis also presents a benchmarking model proposal for container liner service competitiveness which represents the container liner service standard for internal and external competitiveness to be measured by operators, with the aim of improving any weaknesses observed and continuous enhancement of liner service in general. To conclude, the paper brings evidence in support of the fact that, due to the complex nature and enormous investment, nothing in the performance of multimodal transport service by operators should be left to spontaneity but should rather be addressed with an innovative approach, using most recent scientific and practical achievements, with the aim of achieving a service design and performance which would be better acceptable for users than the competition, thus to enable further enhancement and growth of container shipping.