A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S Series A

Danish shipping giant Maersk on the 13th raised its full-year profit forecast for the second time this year, citing higher freight rates driven by the Middle East conflict and solid demand. Second-quarter operating profit came in above expectations. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, a proxy for operating profit, was 3 billion dollars, up from 2.3 billion dollars a year earlier and above the median forecast of 2.12 billion dollars from 11 analysts compiled by Maersk. Under the revision, underlying EBITDA was raised to between 10.5 billion and 12.5 billion dollars from the previous range of 8 billion to 10 billion dollars, while underlying operating profit was lifted to between 4.5 billion and 6.5 billion dollars from 2 billion to 4 billion dollars. Higher ocean freight rates, driven by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran conflict and attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in the Red Sea, are boosting Maersk's performance. However, some analysts caution that the recent surge in freight rates is only a near-term tailwind that masks bigger risks ahead, and that a normalisation of Red Sea transit would put significant downward pressure on rates.

Maersk announced it will return another headhaul service to the full Suez Canal-Red Sea route, effective immediately. The decision, made jointly with Gemini cooperation partner Hapag-Lloyd, shifts the AE19 service from the Cape of Good Hope to the trans-Suez corridor following security assessments. The change starts with the Berlin Maersk westbound voyage 628W and eastbound voyage 637E, with a rotation including Xingang, Qingdao, Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Tanjung Pelepas, Jeddah, Suez Canal, Port Said, Port Tangier, and Singapore. Maersk's first-quarter profit collapsed to $100 million from $1.2 billion a year earlier, though the company upgraded full-year guidance in June on stronger Far East demand and sustained spot-rate increases. The move adds to a gradual return to Suez routings, with the AE15 Asia–Mediterranean–Europe Gemini service already using the canal and the standalone MECL Middle East–U.S. East Coast service shifting to Red Sea-Suez in August.

Danish shipping giant Maersk has announced it will resume its Middle East–US East Coast route via the Suez Canal. In a new step toward reviving Red Sea transit, the company says a structural change returning its Middle East–US East Coast service to the Suez Canal route will significantly cut transit times. Westbound voyages are expected to be shortened by an average of seven days, and eastbound voyages by up to 14 days. Most shipping lines had abandoned the Asia–Europe trade corridor via the Suez Canal after attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea, forcing them onto the longer route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, but some carriers are now beginning to consider a phased return.

Maersk has resumed Asia to Mediterranean services through the Red Sea and Suez Canal in partnership with Hapag-Lloyd, after earlier security concerns had redirected vessels. The routing change affects container flows between key Asian export hubs and Mediterranean import terminals, representing a new service structure for Maersk's network with potential implications for transit times and capacity planning. The return to the Suez corridor follows a period when vessels were diverted away from the area for security reasons. The renewed use of the canal could influence how shippers balance speed, cost and risk across Asia to Europe trades.

U.S. retailers are advancing holiday-season orders from China by four to six weeks to secure inventory ahead of potential tariff hikes later this year, shipping executives told Reuters. Tony Meng, a senior sales manager at XPD Global in China, said there is an expectation that tariffs could be raised or restored to previous levels, prompting a rush to get goods in before that happens. Order volumes, which typically peak from July through September, exceeded expectations in May and June, driving a surge in freight rates and a 35% jump in U.S. imports from China in May. Maersk reported that container space on the China–U.S. route has been tightening since mid-May due to stronger customer demand and earlier seasonal bookings. The frontloading comes as the U.S. Trade Representative has proposed a 12.5% tariff on imports from China and other countries following a forced labor investigation, with a final decision expected in the coming months.