The container shipping industry showed strong signs of financial recovery during the second quarter of 2026, according to Sea-Intelligence.
Reporting container carriers recorded significant annual increases in combined revenue, operating profit and transported volumes.
Carrier revenue reaches US$43.4 billion
The reporting shipping lines generated combined revenue of US$43.4 billion during the second quarter.
This represented an increase of 15.9% compared with the same period in 2025.
Eight carriers that published earnings before interest and taxes reported combined EBIT of US$2.69 billion.
Their combined operating profit increased by 58.2% from US$1.70 billion in the second quarter of 2025.
“The 2026-Q2 financial data underscores a significant positive turnaround in industry profitability,” said Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea-Intelligence.
| Financial measure | Q2 2026 | Q2 2025 | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined revenue | US$43.4 billion | — | +15.9% |
| Combined EBIT | US$2.69 billion | US$1.70 billion | +58.2% |
Global container volumes increase
All six carriers that had reported their global volume figures recorded year-on-year growth during the quarter.
Combined transported volumes across the same group of carriers increased by 4.7%.
OOCL achieved the highest growth, with its global volumes increasing by 8.8%.
CMA CGM followed with growth of 6%, while ONE recorded the lowest increase at 2.9%.
None of the reporting carriers achieved double-digit global volume growth.
Sea-Intelligence noted that second-quarter volume figures for COSCO Shipping Lines, HMM and Yang Ming were not yet available.
Transpacific volumes rise by 8.9%
Growth on the major east-west trade lanes supported the increase in global container volumes.
Transpacific volumes increased by 8.9% compared with the second quarter of 2025.
Asia-Europe volumes rose by 4.9% over the same period.
“These volume figures suggest that the market has regained a solid footing following last year’s disruptions,” said Murphy.
