Hapag-Lloyd raised its 2026 earnings forecast for the second time since July. The German container carrier lifted its EBITDA forecast to $3.9 billion to $4.4 billion. It now expects EBIT of $1.25 billion to $1.75 billion, up from $100 million to $1.1 billion.
The company credited “continued strong market demand and the ongoing positive development of spot freight rates.” Until July, Hapag’s EBIT forecast ran from a loss of $1.5 billion to a profit of $500 million, according to Trans.info.
Spot rates on the two main transpacific lanes have more than doubled since May. Drewry put Shanghai to New York at $10,373 per 40-foot container last week and Shanghai to Los Angeles at $7,838. The same lanes ran $4,317 and $3,385 in May.
Maersk, Hapag’s partner in the Gemini alliance, has raised its own guidance twice since June. The August update lifted underlying EBITDA to $10.5 billion to $12.5 billion from $8 billion to $10 billion. Maersk expects global container volumes to grow about 4% this year.
Hapag said the forecast “is subject to a high degree of uncertainty” because of volatile freight rates and geopolitical challenges. Sea-Intelligence warned last week that Asia-Europe trades could swing into “sharp oversupply” once the backlog of delayed ships at Asian ports clears.
