Having closed the third best year ever, the Danish liner’s prospects for 2025 are linked to maintaining stability in the Red Sea
Last year turned out to be the third most profitable year in the history of container shipping and, similarly, it turned out to be the third best year in the 121-year history of Denmark’s largest shipping company.
Third best financial year
Maersk closed its third best financial year ever with 2024 EBIT of $6.5 billion. The Danish carrier predicted that global container volume growth in 2025 will be around 4%. However, the big dividing line between profits and losses this year, according to Maersk, will focus on the Red Sea.
The situation remains pending
Yemen’s Houthi militias have halted their campaign against merchant shipping, with no attacks reported so far in 2025, following the truce between Israel and Hamas. However, the situation remains pending with very few liners having returned to frequent the Suez route between Asia and Europe.
Maersk’s forecast for 2025
Maersk’s EBIT forecast for 2025 covers a wide range between zero and $3 billion depending on whether the Red Sea opens mid-year or at the end of the year. The company added that its outlook for 2025 is subject to “significant macroeconomic uncertainties” impacting container volume growth and freight rates.
Suez Canal :Return to the container shipping system
Suez Canal transits last year for the container sector as a whole fell 90% compared to 2023, according to data from financial analyst Jefferies. The main economic impact of the potential reopening of the Red Sea routes would be to return capacity to the container shipping system, equivalent to about 6%-8% of existing ships thanks to faster navigation, according to data from S&P Global. Furthermore, within three years the new buildings will increase the hold capacity by approximately 24%.
Vincent Clerc, CEO of Maersk, said his company is “uniquely positioned” to support customers in an era he described as characterized by “geopolitical changes and upheavals that continue to reinforce the need for resilient supply chains”.
While waiting to understand what will happen on the Red Sea, Maersk, rich in liquidity, has meanwhile started a share buyback program that will last a year and reach up to 14.4 billion Danish crowns (1.93 billion euros). The purpose of the program is to adjust the company’s capital structure ultimately through the cancellation of repurchased shares, Maersk said in a statement
Source : Shipping Italy
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