Soaring demand and supply chain bottlenecks help Maersk achieve record results

Strong demand and significant disruption to global supply chains drove freight rates to record levels in the first quarter of the year, helping Maersk deliver an operating profit of US$3.1bn, representing a remarkable sixfold increase.

In a market affected by operational challenges such as bottlenecks, lack of capacity and equipment shortages, volumes grew by 6% and freight rates jumped by 35%.

Revenue climbed by 30% to US$12.4bn, while bunker fuel prices also dropped, helping EBITDA increase to US$4bn from US$1.5bn the previous year.