It was only in July that the Hamburg-based container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd raised its earnings forecast for the current year. Business is now going so well that the forecast is being revised upwards once again by a significant margin.
In a statement, the listed shipping company cited the following reasons for the measure: “The sustained strong market demand and the continued positive trend in spot freight rates”. To put this into context: the company had posted a loss in the first quarter.
Specifically, the forecast for consolidated EBITDA has been set within a range of $3.9 to $4.4 billion. A comparison with the summer figures highlights the scale of the measure: in July, the figure was still $2.7 to $3.7 billion. Prior to that, the company at Ballindamm had anticipated a range of “$1.1 to $3.1 billion”.
Consolidated EBIT is now expected to range from $1.25 to $1.75 billion – also higher than previously forecast: $0.1 to $1.1 billion, having previously even anticipated a possible loss. In euros, this corresponds to a consolidated EBITDA of €3.4 to €3.8 billion (previously: €2.3 to €3.2 billion) and a consolidated EBIT of €1.1 to €1.5 billion (previously: €0.1 to €1.0 billion).
However, the world’s fifth-largest container shipping line emphasises that all figures should be treated with some caution: “Against a backdrop of volatile freight rates and ongoing geopolitical challenges, the forecast is subject to a high degree of uncertainty.”
