Container carriers had been reporting record profits in 2022 due to the surge in freight rates spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, however, due to many reasons such as lower freight rates, EBIT per TEU figures fell significantly in 2023. In particular Maersk and ZIM reached an EBIT per TEU of -4.3 and -2625 U.S. dollars, respectively. As of the third quarter in 2024, EBIT per TEU figures have started to increase again, with Maersk and ZIM reaching figures of 446 and 1273 dollars, respectively.
Record low profits for container carriers
The global container shipping industry lost an estimated 1.44 billion U.S. dollars in operating profit in 2023. After freight rates began increasing between 2021 and 2022 due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, global container freight rates began decreasing in 2023, and eventually rising dramatically again in 2024.
Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier
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Sea-Intelligence. (October 18, 2024). Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
Sea-Intelligence. "Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier." Chart. October 18, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
Sea-Intelligence. (2024). Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
Sea-Intelligence. "Average Ebit per Teu of Selected Container Carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by Carrier." Statista, Statista Inc., 18 Oct 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
Sea-Intelligence, Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier [Graph], Sea-Intelligence, October 18, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
