Average operating margins for the leading container carriers (the nine largest companies reporting Earnings before Interest and Tax or EBIT) breached 20% in the second quarter of 2024, a figure only previously recorded during the COVID pandemic.
The average return for the carriers rose from 11.4% in January-March to 21.6%, with carriers profiting from three full months of higher rates as shippers frontloaded purchases to avoid potential delivery problems later in the year.
Imports have become ‘just-in-case’ rather than ‘just-in-time’.
Source: Alphaliner
