After the improvement of the economic and operating results recorded in the first quarter of this year, in the period following quarterly the performance of the shipping company ZIM have grown further since the revenues that, with a total of 1.93 billion dollars, recorded an increase of +47.6% on the second quarter of 2023. The increase was driven by the appreciation of value of maritime freight rates that in the period April-June 2024 marked an average value of 1,674 dollars/TEU (+40.3%), as well as by the increase in the volumes of cargo carried by the fleet that in the quarter amounted to a record 952 thousand containers TEU (+10.7%). The growth in volumes transported was generated by the significant increase in traffic handled on the routes transpacific and transatlantic countries, which were respectively record number of 423 thousand TEUs (+29.0%) and 137 thousand TEUs (+33.0%), as well as by the very substantial increase in volumes transported services with Latin America, which reached a record share of 126 thousand TEUs (+90.9%), which more than offset the decline -30.8% of volumes handled on Asia-Europe routes, affected the effects of the crisis in the Middle East and the consequent almost elimination of containerized traffic through the Suez, and the -24.7% drop in volumes transported on the routes which amounted to 183 thousand TEUs.

In the period April-June of this year, the activity of ZIM's maritime transport directly generated revenues of $1.59 billion (+55.3%), of which $897.1 million was generated by transpacific services (+98.3%), 156.6 million from services transatlantic liners (-3.0%), 192.8 million from Asia-Europe services (+27.1%), 182.9 million from services with Latin America (+77.9%) and €164.5 million from intra-Asian services (+3.9%).

Regarding the change in revenues and cargo volumes transported on the main world routes, the president and CEO of the company, Eli Glickman, highlighted that, "during the quarter, the ZIM benefited from the strategic decision to increase exposure of the company in the spot market of transpacific trades. That - he explained - has allowed us to achieve a significant growth in a context of freight rates that were high for a a period higher than expected".

In the second quarter of this year, the operating profit of the Israeli company was $468.3 million and net income of $372.8 million compared to both negative for -167.8 million and -212.7 million dollars in the corresponding period of 2023.

In the first half of 2024, revenues totaled 3.49 billion dollars, up +30.2% on the first half last year. Operating profit and net profit were €634.9 million and €464.9 million compared to negative results for -$181.7 million and -$270.8 million in the first six months of 2023. In the first half of this year, the ZIM fleet transported containers for a total of 1.80 million TEUs (+10.4%) and the average value of sea freight rates was equal to 1,569 dollars/TEU (+22.0%).

As for the outlook for the coming months, Glickman made I note that results are expected in the second half of 2024 better than in the first half of the year in the wake of the continued supply pressure caused by the crisis in the Mediterranean Sea Red and the favorable trend in demand.

Glickman recalled that by the end of 2024, ZIM will take over the remaining eight container carriers of the 46 newly built ships of the company, of which 28 are powered by liquefied natural gas.