Strong volumes and higher freight rates powered CMA CGM to nearly 20 percent revenue growth in the second quarter as businesses pulled forward orders to stock up on inventory and get ahead of additional fuel adjustments and surcharges.
Total revenue at the ocean carrier amounted to $15.7 billion, up 19.2 percent compared with the second quarter
Net income increased by roughly 48 percent, jumping to an estimated $770 million. More from WWD But revenue at the company’s container shipping segment soared 22 percent to a shade under $10 billion, mainly reflecting an average revenue of $1,575 per 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) transported. On an annual basis, the average freight rate per TEU escalated 15.1 percent year-on-year.
Additionally, EBITDA margins at the segment benefited from the high-rate environment, increasing to 22.7 percent in the second quarter versus 19.4 percent in the year-ago period. “Uncertainties about whether supply chains will continue to work well against the backdrop of a conflict have pushed people to stock up preventively, and that’s what we saw in the second quarter,” chief financial officer Ramon Fernandez said last Tuesday in an earnings call. “Those effects will probably continue in the third quarter.” In the second quarter of 2026, transported volumes reached 6.3 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 6 percent compared with the 2025 period. The numbers surpass global container volume growth seen in April and May, in which Container Trades Statistics counted a 4.6 percent increase. Also aiding the container shipping giant was a significant bump in traffic on the trans-Pacific trade lane in the three-month period, as more U.S. importers re-upped their buying habits from China. “Over the past months there has been a rebound of Chinese exports to the U.S. compared to what was seen over the previous year,” said Fernandez. “This window of opportunity of sorts has led companies to reconstitute their stocks.” China’s exports to the U.S….