During the same period, revenue was tallied at 10.8914 trillion won, down 6.9%, and net profit came to 1.8787 trillion won, a decrease of 50.3%.
HMM said the impact was significant from falling rates on all container liner service routes it operates, as oversupply of container ships and the United States’ protectionist tariff policy dampened the trade environment.
The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI), a major route-by-route freight index based on Shanghai, China, averaged 1,581 points last year, down 37% from the previous year.
In particular, last year’s rates on the U.S. West Coast and East Coast routes fell 49% and 42%, respectively, from a year earlier, and rates on European routes fell 49% in the same period. These routes are HMM’s main routes.
However, HMM said that despite a decline in operating profit, it maintained solid profitability with an operating margin of 13.4%, and results for the fourth quarter of last year improved compared with the previous quarter (the third quarter of 2025).
HMM’s operating profit on a consolidation basis for the fourth quarter of last year was provisionally tallied at 317.3 billion won, down 68.3% from the same period a year earlier. During the same period, revenue fell 14.2% to 2.7076 trillion won, and net profit decreased 59.5% to 363.9 billion won.
This operating profit on a consolidation basis for HMM in the fourth quarter of last year was up 6.9% from the previous quarter. Revenue was at a similar level, but supported by the increase in operating profit, net profit also rose 19.8% in the same period.
HMM said that although demand is expected to be sluggish this year as container ship supply is set to increase significantly, it will continue growth by expanding a hub-and-spoke-based network and strengthening eco-friendly services to increase market share, and by establishing a feeder operating system to pursue improvements in the expense structure.
It also said it plans to identify new business opportunities, including the bulk institutional sector and transportation of mineral resources related to the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, as well as resuming the domestic dedicated vessel business.
Source: ChosunBiz
