Danish shipping giant Maersk has raised its full-year 2025 profit guidance, expecting underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to be between $8 billion and $9.5 billion. This is an increase from its previous forecast of $6 billion to $9 billion. The company also anticipates global container market volume growth to be between 2% and 4%, up from an earlier estimate of -1% to 4%. This optimistic outlook is primarily driven by resilient market demand outside North America, which has offset the dampening effect of new U.S. tariffs on imports.
For the second quarter of 2025, Maersk reported strong results with a 2.8% year-on-year revenue growth, reaching $13.1 billion, and an EBIT of $845 million. Underlying EBITDA for the June quarter was $2.3 billion, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. CEO Vincent Clerc attributed this performance to a robust manufacturing boom in China and strong export growth globally, particularly outside the United States. He noted that while U.S. tariffs had some impact, strong demand elsewhere fueled the earnings upgrade.
The company acknowledged ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, including the disruption in the Red Sea, which is still expected to last for the full year. Despite these challenges, Maersk's operational improvements, cost discipline across all business segments, and strong performance in its Terminals and Logistics & Services divisions contributed to the positive results. The higher freight rates due to longer sailing times to avoid Red Sea conflict also played a role in boosting profitability.
