Like the other leading shipping companies operating in the container segment, in the second quarter of this year also the South Korean HMM recorded a marked improvement in financial and operating performance following the increase in demand for containerized shipping and the increase in value of freights. In the period, the company's revenues were amounting to 3,402.0 billion won ($2.4 billion), in growth of +29.7% on the second quarter of 2025, of which 2,802.5 billion won (+29.1%) generated by containerized transport, in addition to 266.1 billion (+80.0%) generated by transport maritime bulk cargo and 292.3 billion (+17.4%) from the transport of maritime dry bulk cargo. Operating costs amounted to overall to 2,873.5 billion won (+26.7%). The profit was €354.1 billion (+51.9%), with a contribution of 198.6 billion from the container segment (+5.9%) and 156.4 billion billion from bulk (+371.3%). Net profit quarterly was 411.4 billion won, with a decrease -12.7% due to lower financial income.

In the second quarter of 2026, HMM container carriers transported goods totalling over one million TEU (+3.2%). In the period, the average value of sea freight rates was result of 1,312 dollars/TEU (+9.5%). On the routes alone transpacific with America, ships transported 376 thousand TEUs (+10.7%) and in this market the related revenues amounted to 995.6 billion won (+20.5%). On the Asia-Europe routes, 302 thousand TEUs were transported (+1.5%), an activity that produced revenues of 999.4 billion won (+28.2%). On Asian routes 179 thousand TEUs were transported (-19.8%) and in this market the revenues totaled 360.9 billion won (+12.2%). On the routes North-South maritime transport, the total transported was 153 thousand TEU (+29.9%) and related revenues amounted to 444.3 billion of won (+78.2%).

The South Korean company believes that in the whole of 2026 the demand global container shipping is expected to grow by +2.5%, while the capacity supply is expected to be increase of +4.2%, with an imbalance that could exert pressure on freight rates. Expected stronger growth of the offer which, however, will not stop the expansion of the HMM container fleet, currently made up of 98 ships for a hold capacity of just over of one million TEUs, which plans to equip itself by 2030 with a fleet with a capacity of about 1.5 million TEUs.