China International Marine Containers (CIMC), the world’s largest container manufacturer, expects demand for containers to be supported in the short term as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.
CEO Mai Boliang explained that liner shipping companies had to react to the disruption of connections to the Persian Gulf, which temporarily increased the demand for boxes. In the longer term, he expects container demand to continue to grow steadily, driven by increasing trade in emerging markets.
CIMC, the world’s largest container manufacturer, saw its net profit fall by 68% to USD 191 million in 2025 compared to 2024 due to an oversupply of containers resulting from high production in recent years. Sales of dry containers fell by 35% to 2.22 million TEU. In contrast, sales of reefer containers increased by 50% to 200,820 TEU as a result of the continued growth of cold chain logistics.
Mai said: “The current global trade is affected by several uncertain factors such as geopolitics and traffic on key shipping routes. This also has an impact on the efficiency of maritime traffic and the throughput of containers, exacerbates short-term fluctuations in demand in the market and will significantly increase container demand in the near future. The conflict in the Middle East means that shipping companies will continue to route their ships around Africa on their way to Europe.”
He added: “In the long term, containers remain the most important and developed instrument of world trade and there is no substitute for them. While global trade growth has slowed, trade growth in the emerging economies of Asia, Africa and South America has accelerated and container demand will continue to grow in the long term. It is impossible to predict when the next geopolitical conflict will break out, but containers are irreplaceable as long as global trade continues.”
