Investment bank Jefferies expects that Maersk Line will improve its result for 2017 by US$2 billion, twice as much as Maersk Line CEO Søren Skou has previously projected, according to ShippingWatch.
However, after a dissatisfying first-quarter result for 2017, Skou stated that spot and contract rates gaining traction meant that the world’s largest ocean freight carrier could deliver a $1 billion profit over 2016.
Drewry has predicted a $1.5 billion operating profit in 2017 for the entire industry.
APM-Maersk has seen considerable growth in 2017 after its acquisition of Hamburg Süd and the finalisation of the 2M alliance, which it leads with Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC).
Dirk Visser, Senior Shipping Consultant, Managing Editor Publications & DynaLiners, Dynamar, stated in The World’s Largest Container Carriers that by the first month of 2017, Maersk Line’s fleet had grown to 631 vessels of nominal 3,274,000 TEU — 58 times that of the 25th largest of that moment, Transworld Group with its 34 units/56,200 TEU.
According to Alphaliner's Top 100, as of June 15, 2017, APM-Maersk's TEU has risen to 3,394,115.
