Lower revenue, higher costs drive Hapag-Lloyd to loss
Hapag-Lloyd posted a loss in the first quarter as lower volume and weaker rates hit earnings. The post Lower revenue, higher costs drive Hapag-Lloyd to loss appeared first on FreightWaves.
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Hapag-Lloyd saw profits evaporate in the first quarter as weather and the Mideast conflict disrupted operations. The world’s fifth-largest ocean container line said liner revenue fell 8% to $4. 8 billion year-over year on volume that was narrowly off 1% at 3. 2 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs). That compared to global volume that increased 4.
4%, according to Container Trade Statistics. Liner earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation (EBIT) dropped to a loss of $174 million. window. googletag = window. googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag. cmd. push(function() {googletag.
defineSlot('/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1', [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], 'div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'). defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps. banner1). addService(googletag. pubads()); googletag. pubads(). enableSingleRequest(); googletag. pubads(). collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag. enableServices(); }); googletag. cmd.
push(function() {googletag. display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); The average freight rate of $1,330 per TEU was weaker by 9. 5% from the year-ago quarter. That was in line with CTS data showing a 9. 7% decline.
“The first quarter of 2026 was unsatisfactory for us, with weather-related supply chain disruptions [in the Atlantic] and pressure on freight rates leading to significantly lower results,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, chief executive of Hapag-Lloyd AG, in an earnings release.
Hapag-Lloyd maintained full-year 2026 guidance of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $1. 1 billion–$3. 1 billion; and EBIT of a loss of $1. 5 billion to a profit of $500 million. Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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This briefing is based on reporting from Freightwaves. Use the original post for full primary-source context.
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