{"id":83749,"date":"2026-02-10T07:43:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T10:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/891004141"},"modified":"2026-02-10T07:43:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T10:43:54","slug":"maersk-braces-for-freight-rate-slump-with-job-cuts-and-cost-drive-as-red-sea-routes-reopen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/maersk-braces-for-freight-rate-slump-with-job-cuts-and-cost-drive-as-red-sea-routes-reopen\/","title":{"rendered":"Maersk Braces for Freight Rate Slump with Job Cuts and Cost Drive as Red Sea Routes Reopen"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A.P. Moller-Maersk A\/S is preparing for a softer earnings environment by cutting jobs and tightening costs as the reopening of Red Sea shipping lanes puts renewed pressure on freight rates.<\/p>\n

Read also: Maersk Analyzes 2026 Supply Chain Challenges: Suez Return, EU Tax Change<\/a><\/p>\n

The container shipping giant said it expects 2026 underlying EBITDA to come in between $4.5 billion and $7 billion, a sharp decline from the $9.57 billion recorded in 2025 and below the $5.76 billion analyst consensus. Shares slid as much as 8.1% in Copenhagen trading, marking their steepest drop in three weeks.<\/p>\n

Maersk\u2019s outlook assumes a gradual normalization of Red Sea transits. During the disruption, carriers rerouted vessels around southern Africa, extending voyage times and effectively removing 7\u20138% of global capacity from the market \u2014 a dynamic that had supported freight pricing.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWith more services returning through the Red Sea, capacity will be freed up, creating a pricing environment under pressure in our shipping division,\u201d CEO Vincent Clerc said in a Bloomberg TV interview. He added that Maersk sees significant opportunities to cut costs as the industry enters a downcycle.<\/p>\n

The company plans to eliminate 1,000 roles, about 15% of corporate positions but less than 1% of its total workforce, targeting $180 million in annual savings. Productivity initiatives \u2014 including expanded use of artificial intelligence \u2014 will be a key focus.<\/p>\n

Maersk forecasts global container trade growth of 2\u20134% in 2026, expecting to perform in line with the broader market. It also announced a share buyback program of up to 6.3 billion kroner ($1 billion) over the next year.<\/p>\n

Market observers say the guidance is achievable even under full Red Sea normalization. \u201cThe low end of the range should be possible even with a full reopening,\u201d said Danske Bank credit analyst Brian Borsting.<\/p>\n

Security risks in the region had previously curtailed traffic, but Maersk completed its first Bab el-Mandeb Strait transit in nearly two years in December after attacks by Yemen-based Houthi militants subsided.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, freight fundamentals continue to weaken. Container rates from Shanghai have fallen more than 40% from their June peak and are expected to decline further, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Adding to pressure, the world\u2019s five largest carriers have nearly 7 million TEU of new vessel capacity on order \u2014 roughly 20% of the current global fleet, data from Alphaliner show.<\/p>\n

Financially, Maersk\u2019s fourth-quarter performance reflected the cooling market. EBITDA fell by nearly half year over year to $1.84 billion, while revenue dropped almost 9% to $13.33 billion.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… Red Sea shipping<\/span> lanes puts renewed pressure on freight<\/span> rates. … Tax Change The container shipping<\/span> giant said it expects … under pressure in our shipping<\/span> division,\u00e2\u0080\u009d CEO Vincent Clerc … Houthi militants subsided. Meanwhile, freight<\/span> fundamentals continue to weaken. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83749\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}