Hapag-Lloyd has concluded the first quarter of 2022 with an EBITDA of $5.3 billion – and the outlook for the rest of the year looks promising despite current disruptions.
The EBIT rose to $4.8 billion and the Group profit climbed to $4.7 billion.
“The year has got off to an exceptionally strong start on the whole, and whilst there have been first signs that the market has passed its peak, we also expect a strong second quarter,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd AG.
Based on the current business performance, Hapag-Lloyd anticipates an equally strong second quarter predicting an EBITDA between $14.5 and $16.5 billion and an operating profit (EBIT) in the range of $12.5 to $14.5 billion.
The company has released that forecast remains subject to considerable uncertainty given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
“Global supply chains continue to be under significant pressure – not least because of the recent measures taken in China in response to COVID-19 outbreaks. This situation is expected to improve in the second half of the year,” Habben Jansen added.
“For our customers worldwide, we will do everything in our power to help normalise this difficult market environment as quickly as possible. At the same time, we will continue to focus on quality and sustainability and further implement our Strategy 2023.”
Revenues also rose in the first quarter of 2022 to $9 billion owing to higher average freight rate and a stronger US dollar.
Turning to container volumes, figures were roughly on a par with the prior-year level at 3 million TEU.
As many ports are still congested, and hinterland infrastructures are strained, the result was impacted by significantly increasing expenses for container handling.
Last March, Hapag-Lloyd published its audited annual report for the 2021 financial year, reporting revenues of $26.4 billion.
