Maersk beats profit forecasts amid Iran war risks

Shipping giant Maersk reported first-quarter profits above forecasts but maintained its full-year earnings guidance unchanged, warning that the US-Israel war involving Iran has created uncertainty around freight rates and operating costs, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

Maersk, which is widely viewed as a barometer for global trade activity, continues to forecast global container volume growth of between 2% and 4% this year. However, the company cautioned that market conditions remain highly volatile.

“The outlook for global container demand in 2026 is highly uncertain. Higher energy prices and constraints on trade in the Upper Gulf region, which in 2025 accounted for around 6 percent of global container trade, pose downside risks to the growth momentum,” the company said in a statement.

The company’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) for the January-March period totaled $1.73 billion. That exceeded the median analyst forecast of $1.66 billion in a company-compiled poll of 10 analysts, although it was significantly lower than the $2.71 billion reported during the same quarter a year earlier.

Maersk also noted that the first-quarter results do not fully reflect the impact of the war on global supply chains, as the conflict began on February 28.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev