- Q1 2025 combined EBIT for major shipping lines was USD 5.89 billion, remaining above pre-pandemic levels. Q2 2025 saw a decline in profitability with combined EBIT of USD 2.73 billion due to market disruptions.
- EBIT per TEU in Q2 2025 ranged from USD 12 (ONE) to USD 249 (OOCL), showing varying operational performance among shipping lines.
- Asia-Europe trade volumes grew strongly, while Transpacific trade showed slower movement, highlighting uneven route performance.
- Overall, container shipping remained profitable in Q2 2025, but gains were moderated by market volatility.
In the first half of 2025, major shipping lines faced a challenging market environment marked by geopolitical uncertainty and fluctuating freight rates. While the combined EBIT of USD 5.89 billion in Q1 remained above pre-pandemic levels, profitability softened in Q2, with a combined EBIT of USD 2.73 billion. This reflected ongoing market disruptions and shifting volumes, making Q2 less profitable compared to previous years, as highlighted in the latest report by Sea-Intelligence.
Operational performance in container shipping can be assessed through the EBIT per TEU (TEU: Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) metric. In Q2 2025, all major shipping lines reported positive EBIT/TEU, ranging from USD 12 for ONE to USD 249 for OOCL. Other notable performers included HMM (176 USD/TEU) and ZIM (167 USD/TEU), while Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and COSCO posted moderate results between 35–79 USD/TEU.
Despite overall profitability, market volatility affected different trade routes unevenly, with Asia-Europe volumes showing strong growth, contrasting with slower Transpacific trade movements. The Q2 data indicates that while container shipping remains profitable, operational gains are tempered by market fluctuations.
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Source: SEA INTELLIGENCE
