News
The collective shipping operating profits (EBIT) for nine Leading carriers reached US$3.8 billion in the second quarter (April–June), versus US$2.6 billion a year ago, according to Alphaliner. Their average operating margin rose to 11.2%, up from 5.2%. Eight of the nine shipping lines, which unveil business results, enjoyed growth in profitability.
Maersk climbed two places in the rankings after logging a margin of 8.9%, an improvement of 11.2 percentage points. The Danish carrier benefited from good market exposure, with 56% of its product mix earning spot rates, as well as effective network redeployment. ZIM Integrated Shipping Lines also achieved a big swing in margin, from -0.4% in the first quarter (January–March) to 9.5%.
At the other end of the scale, Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Hapag-Lloyd reported the lowest margins, with ONE returning to the bottom of the list with a ratio of 1.7%, while Hapag-Lloyd’s margin was also in the low single-digits at 2.7%. HMM’s margin, while more robust at 7.1%, did not improve from the previous quarter.
