Hapag-Lloyd Sees Exceptionally Strong Demand for Container Transports
Hapag-Lloyd has got the year off to a very good start thanks to exceptionally strong demand for container transports, which has led to a much higher level of freight rates.
Based on preliminary business figures for the month of January and the current business situation, the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG expects the performance indicators EBITDA and EBIT for the first quarter of 2021 to be significantly higher than in the prior-year period.
EBITDA is currently expected to be at least $1.8 billion compared to $517 million in Q1 2020. For EBIT, the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG currently expects at least $1.5 billion compared to $176 million in Q1 2020.
At the same time, the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG expects that the EBITDA and EBIT for the 2021 business year as a whole will clearly surpass the prior-year level.
However, the forecast for the year is subject to considerable uncertainty due to a number of factors, including: the above-average volatility of freight rates at this time; operational challenges caused by existing infrastructural bottlenecks, among other things; and the inability to predict the further course or economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hapag-Lloyd Deploys Extra-Loader for Easing Disruptions in India
Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd said: “We will see a very strong result in the first quarter, but we anticipate a normalisation as the year progresses.
"We are still seeing slower container turn times, significant congestion in ports around the globe, capacity constraints in rail and truck, and the risks of the coronavirus pandemic remain.
"Nevertheless, we do also expect that the result for 2021 as a whole will be significantly higher than the prior-year level. At the same time, we will continue to keep our focus on our employees, serving our customers in the best possible way and the implementation of our Strategy 2023.”
Read More: Hapag-Lloyd Orders 6 Ultra Large Container Vessels of 23,500+ TEU
