Sky-high freight rates lead to profit surge for Hapag-Lloyd

Based on preliminary figures, Hapag-Lloyd expects an EBITDA of approximately US$4.2bn in the first half of 2021, a significant increase compared to the US$1.3bn recorded in the same period last year.

Although global demand for container transport remains at a high level, operation disruptions along the entire supply chain continue to cause significant delays and thereby contribute to the shortage of transport capacity.

As a result, Hapag-Lloyd expects earnings momentum to remain very strong in the second half of the year although, previously, a gradual normalisation of the earnings trend had been expected for the second half of the year.