A review of earnings-by-teu shows a significant change in carriers’ comparative rankings in 2023, with some niche lines now challenging the larger carriers.
An Alphaliner study of operating profit (EBIT) per teu lifted in 2023 suggests that US-based Matson, which is primarily a Jones Act carrier with a major presence in the highly lucrative US-domestic trade, earned the highest figure over 2023.
It is safe to assume that Matson’s big presence in the Jones Actprotected Hawaii trade is responsible for much of the high per-teu earnings.
With the exception of those carriers that posted EBIT losses for 2023 operating profit per teu still remains above 2019 levels for the majority of lines.
Hapag-Lloyd and OOIL moved up in 2023, earning the second and third highest operating profit per teu in 2023.
Source: Alphaliner
