Container carriers had been reporting record profits in 2022 due to the surge in freight rates spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, however, due to many reasons such as lower freight rates, EBIT per TEU figures fell significantly in 2023. In particular Maersk and ZIM reached an EBIT per TEU of **** and U.S. dollars, respectively. As of the third quarter in 2024, EBIT per TEU figures have started to increase again, with Maersk and ZIM reaching figures of *** and 1273 dollars, respectively.
Record low profits for container carriers
The global container shipping industry lost an estimated **** billion U.S. dollars in operating profit in 2023. After freight rates began increasing between 2021 and 2022 due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, global container freight rates began decreasing in 2023, and eventually rising dramatically again in 2024.
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Sea-Intelligence. (October 18, 2024). Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 18, 2026, from /statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
Sea-Intelligence. "Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier." Chart. October 18, 2024. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 18, 2026. /statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
Sea-Intelligence. (2024). Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 18, 2026. /statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
Sea-Intelligence. "Average Ebit per Teu of Selected Container Carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by Carrier." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 18 Oct 2024, /statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
Sea-Intelligence, Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/ (last visited July 18, 2026)
Average EBIT per TEU of selected container carriers between Q1 2019 and Q3 2024, by carrier [Graph], Sea-Intelligence, October 18, 2024. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1372935/container-carriers-ebit-per-teu-quarterly/
