Hong Kong Stock Concept Tracking | Global shipping giant Maersk raises performance outlook, shipping market ushered in phased rebalancing of supply and demand (with concept stocks)
The Zhitong Finance App learned that on August 13, global shipping giant Maersk announced financial results for the second quarter of 2026. Benefiting from strong market demand, rising spot shipping prices, and overall growth in various business segments, the company performed strongly in the second quarter. Based on actual results for the second quarter and higher “visibility” on the business situation for the rest of the year, the company announced an increase in the annual results guidance and expects the global container shipping market to increase by about 4% in 2026.
During the reporting period, the company's revenue increased 20% year over year, from US$13.1 billion to US$15.8 billion. The shipping business was the main driver of this growth, increasing revenue by $2 billion. Specifically, shipping business revenue increased 23%, and profit before interest and tax was US$935 million, up from US$229 million in the same period last year. This figure for the first quarter of 2026 was -192 million US dollars. Among them, cargo volume increased by 4.1%, mainly driven by Asian exports; average loading freight increased by 22%. The ship utilization rate remained high at 96%.
Maersk also announced an increase in its 2026 full-year results guidance. The profit before basic interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the full year of 2026 is expected to be 10.5 billion to 12.5 billion US dollars, and the previous forecast was 8 billion to 10 billion US dollars; profit before basic interest, tax, and tax (EBIT) is estimated to be 4.5 billion to 6.5 billion US dollars, compared to 2 billion to 4 billion US dollars previously.
Furthermore, according to data released by COSCO SHIPPING Group, from January to June of this year, Qiankai Terminal completed a total container throughput of 200,000 TEU, an increase of 70.94% over the previous year. Completed bulk cargo throughput of 987,000 tons, up 41.2% year on year, including 350,000 tons of groceries, up 114.73% year on year; 593,000 tons of bulk goods, up 11.32% year on year; 44,000 tons of roll-over cargo, up 340% year on year.
According to reports, the Qiankai Port project was developed and operated by COSCO SHIPPING Ports Co., Ltd. (60% shareholding), a subsidiary of COSCO SHIPPING Group, and a local Peruvian company. Qiankai Port is not only a local port in Peru, but also an important part of Yala's new land and sea corridors. Similarly, Shanghai Port is also one of the core departure ports on this channel. It is the main terminal for domestic vehicle exports. A large number of Chinese domestic cars are shipped from Shanghai Nangang Ro-Ro to Qiankai Port and then sold to Peru and surrounding Latin American countries.
“The situation in the Middle East may be difficult to calm down in the short term. The Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Mande is not only holding 70% of global oil traffic, but also 30% of container traffic. The Red Sea passage was blocked, shipping companies had to make detours, and the voyage was lengthened. At the same time, the war insurance rate soared from 0.25% to 12% of the ship's value, posing a huge cost burden.” Wang Guowen, research director of the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Research Institute of the China (Shenzhen) Comprehensive Development Research Institute, analyzed that currently unstable routes and chaotic port connections have consumed more capacity resources. As long as the geographical tension is not lifted, freight rates on related routes will remain high.
However, global logistics service provider C.H. Robinson (C.H. Robinson) said that in order to cope with potential tariff policy adjustments this summer, many companies chose to arrange shipments in advance. As a result, transportation demand, which was originally part of the traditional peak season in the second half of the year, was released early from May to July. With the end of this wave of “export grabbing” concentration, market demand has now begun to slow in stages. Spot freight prices have begun to fall to a high level, and space on some routes is also easier to obtain than in previous months.
However, Wang Guowen believes that although the global container freight index has been falling for several weeks recently, this does not mean that the shipping market as a whole has cooled down. Previously, the export rush brought forward the traditional peak season, causing the booking cycle to be shortened from three to four weeks to one or two weeks, and market tension was clearly alleviated: “The current situation is a structural rebalance brought about by early peak season and early off-season. It is a phased adjustment; it is not a fundamental cooling of the market.”
According to the CITIC Construction Investment Research Report, in the short term, both demand and cost sides are weakening at the same time. The rush to rush shipments in the first half of the year overdrew subsequent cargo demand, creating a vacuum in transportation demand; at the same time, falling oil prices reduced the operating costs of shipping companies and weakened their motivation to maintain high freight rates. The combination of two factors together contributed to the decline in freight rates in the second half of the year. In the medium to long term, the supply-side Red Sea resumption process is still a decisive variable. Once navigation is normal, detour capacity will return on a large scale, and effective supply will expand significantly. Overall, freight rates in the shipping market will be under pressure in the second half of 2026. Focusing on a longer cycle, factors such as tariff policy games, geopolitical disturbances, and global port congestion are intertwined. Supply chain uncertainty continues to rise, and the traditional cyclical rules of freight rates tend to weaken and increase volatility. Despite this, the long-term undertone of demand growth and supply-side rigid constraints have not been fundamentally reversed, and the freight center still has the basic support to maintain a relatively high level.
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