Net profits from trading from July to September rose
to $3.049 billion, while turnover rose 30% to $15.76 billion. The world’s number two shipping operator
said it expected operating profit of between $5.2 and $5.7 billion, up from a
previous forecast of $3.0 billion to $5.0 billion.
“This quarter, we once again supported our customers
through times of high volatility and low visibility,” said A.P. Moller-Maersk
chief executive Vincent Clerc.
Maersk, like other
shippers, no longer go through the Red Sea on the Asia-Europe route because of
the risk of attack by Huthi rebels and now sends its vessel on the longer route
around southern Africa.
“The network re-routing south of the Cape of Good Hope
remained a significant driver of our cost base, impacting bunker consumption
and overall operating costs,” the company said.
Freight prices have
risen 54% percent above the lowest rates in the third quarter of 2023, the
company said. But it still predicted a six percent rise in global
container traffic for all of 2024.