Container shipping recovery strengthens in Q2 2026

Container shipping recovery gained momentum in the second quarter of 2026, with major carriers reporting stronger revenues, operating profits and transported volumes compared with the same period last year.

According to the latest Sea-Intelligence Sunday Spotlight commentary, reporting container shipping lines generated combined revenue of USD 43.4 billion in 2026-Q2, representing a 15.9% year-on-year increase. The improvement follows the more challenging market conditions seen through 2025.

Profitability also moved firmly higher. Eight carriers that had published earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) recorded a combined USD 2.69 billion in EBIT, up 58.2% year on year from the USD 1.70 billion generated by the same group in 2025-Q2.

The financial recovery was accompanied by continued growth in container volumes. All six shipping lines that had reported their global volume figures recorded positive year-on-year growth during the quarter. Figures for COSCO, HMM and Yang Ming were not yet available in the Sea-Intelligence comparison.

Growth remained positive without reaching double digits. OOCL recorded the strongest increase at 8.8%, followed by CMA CGM at 6.0%, while ONE posted the lowest growth at 2.9%. Across the comparable carriers, global transported volumes increased by 4.7% year on year.

Trade-lane performance also supported the improvement, with Transpacific volumes rising 8.9% and Asia-Europe volumes increasing 4.9% year on year in 2026-Q2. Sea-Intelligence said the volume figures indicate that the container shipping market has regained stronger footing following the disruptions experienced last year.

Source: Sea-Intelligence, Sunday Spotlight. Read the original commentary here: Sea-Intelligence – Carrier Financials: Market Recovery in 2026-Q2