Maersk Delivers Strong Q2, Raises Full Year Guidance
Chennai:
Port Wings News Network:
A.P. Moller – Maersk A/S, a global leader in logistics services, delivered a strong second quarter, driven by high demand, higher spot rates in Ocean, and growth across all business segments.
According to a media statement, full-year guidance raised to an underlying EBITDA of USD 10.5-12.5bn (previously USD 8-10bn) and an underlying EBIT of USD 4.5-6.5bn (previously USD 2-4bn).
For the group, EBITDA was USD 3.0bn and EBIT was USD 1.6bn in the second quarter, up on both the prior year and the first quarter. While the company’s Ocean-side business grew volumes by 4.1% and generated significantly better earnings, Logistics & Services grew revenue by 15% and improved its EBIT margin to 5.1%. Terminals increased volumes by 2.2% and maintained strong earnings for the period.
Commenting on the performance, Vincent Clerc, Chief Executive Officer at Maersk, said, “The second quarter was yet another proof point of the new era of heightened volatility we have entered. Strong, broad-based demand from the Far East since 2024 has resulted in significantly more unbalanced trade flows, with volume levels that are challenging landside infrastructure capacity. From ports to inland transportation, we are seeing increased congestion and disruption across multiple geographies.
“Our global team’s ability to capture opportunities in these difficult markets has enabled us to deliver significant volume and earnings growth across our businesses, leading to the substantial upgrade to our full-year guidance. As markets evolve, we remain focused on helping customers respond quickly to change and maintain the integrity of their supply chains. With bottlenecks remaining deeply entrenched, we must continue to invest in critical trade infrastructure and scale, to keep delivering the best possible value to our customers,” added Vincent Clerc.
Financial highlights
Global demand for transport and logistics remained resilient during the quarter. As traffic flows in the Strait of Hormuz were disrupted, inbound cargo to the Gulf was rerouted to alternative ports and through inland transportation routes, with the affected Ocean capacity swiftly redeployed to other growing trade lanes. Growth was particularly strong for imports into Africa, North America and Latin America, supported by continued momentum in exports from the Far East, especially China. Ocean spot rates increased significantly during the quarter, driven by demand, the increasing imbalance in trade flows, tight capacity and rising port congestion in Europe, the Middle East, East Coast of South America and West Africa.
Maersk leveraged these market conditions to grow volumes across all segments and delivered a strong financial performance in Q2, with revenue increasing 20% year-on-year to USD 15.8bn from USD 13.1bn. Ocean was the main contributor, lifting revenue by USD 2.0bn. EBITDA rose to USD 3.0bn from USD 2.3bn, EBIT increased to USD 1.6bn from USD 845m, and the EBIT margin reached 10.0%.
BUSINESS SEGMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Ocean
Ocean performance was strong operationally and commercially, with the segment delivering a 23% revenue increase and significantly improved earnings. Loaded volumes grew by 4.1% driven by Asian exports, while the average loaded freight rate increased by 22%. Vessel utilisation remained high at 96% and unit cost at fixed energy decreased by 0.8%, as higher volumes counter-balanced the increase in operating costs.
EBIT: USD 935m, up from USD 229m in the same quarter last year. EBIT was USD -192m in Q1 2026.
Logistics & Services
Logistics & Services delivered another quarter of continued improvement resulting in an EBIT margin of 5.1%, up 0.5 percentage points sequentially. Revenue increased by 15% year-on-year and 11% sequentially. Landside led the growth, supported by landbridge solutions connecting ports across the Gulf region, while Forwarding benefited from strong volume growth in Air and Project Logistics. Solutions also contributed positively, driven by a favourable mix of new and existing contracts.
EBIT: USD 217m, up from USD 175m in the same quarter last year. EBIT was USD 173m in Q1 2026.
Terminals
Terminals made further progress on several key initiatives, reflecting its ongoing commitment to strategic growth and capacity expansion. The strong underlying performance more than offset the impact of the Middle East conflict. Revenue increased by 11%, supported by a 7.1% increase in revenue per move driven by higher rates and increased storage revenue, and volume growth of 2.2%.
EBIT: USD 458m, against USD 461m in the same quarter last year. EBIT was USD 436m in Q1 2026.
Investments
Across the portfolio, Maersk continued to invest in critical trade infrastructure and supply chain capabilities. A major milestone was reached in Brazil where APM Terminals inaugurated the terminal in Suape, a USD 350m investment for the first fully electrified container terminal on the continent. With a new distribution and warehousing facility, Logistics & Services further contributed to the integrated logistics capabilities of Suape and the north-east Brazil. In Vietnam, APM Terminals and Hateco Group signed an agreement with Da Nang City to build and operate the Lien Chieu Container Terminal. The project represents an investment of over USD 1.7bn.
Financial guidance
Maersk has updated its full-year 2026 financial guidance on the back of the actual performance in the second quarter of 2026 and improved visibility for the remainder of the year. This is based on global container market volume growth for the full year 2026 of around 4%. Maersk now expects an underlying EBITDA of USD 10.5-12.5bn (previously USD 8-10bn), an underlying EBIT of USD 4.5-6.5bn (previously USD 2-4bn), and a free cash flow greater than USD 0 (previously at least USD -1.5bn).
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