AP Moller-Maersk reported on Monday that it has taken a significant step in reconfiguring its global maritime network by ordering eight large 18,600 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels from New Times Shipbuilding in China, under a homogeneous design that will be part of a series planned for deliveries between 2029 and 2030.

The decision to opt for vessels measuring 366 meters in length and 58.6 meters in beam, somewhat more compact than the ultra-large ships that now dominate shipbuilding, stems from a logic of operational and strategic flexibility . It prioritizes modular capabilities that can be integrated into both main routes and secondary services within the company’s extensive logistics network. This commitment is part of an ongoing fleet renewal that, according to the shipping company, sustains its competitiveness in a context of volatile demand and evolving supply chains.

Choosing a configuration that allows for deployment flexibility underscores a broader phenomenon in shipping: the growing need to adapt capacity to markets where cargo volumes and geopolitical conditions are rapidly changing . Large, but not excessively large, vessels facilitate efficient connections on major east-west routes without sacrificing capacity for regional services or ports with infrastructure limitations, thus offering ample options for adjusting itineraries and deployments to meet fluctuating trade patterns.

In terms of technology and sustainability, the new vessels will be equipped with dual-fuel engines, capable of switching between conventional bunker fuel and liquefied natural gas. This feature responds to increasing regulatory and market pressure to reduce emissions and move towards cleaner fuels, while simultaneously maintaining operational options in the face of an alternative fuel bunkering infrastructure that is still expanding.

Financial strength

The investment and fleet expansion decision comes at a key financial moment for Maersk. During 2025, the company recorded solid performance across its various business units , driven by volume growth, refined operational execution, and proactive cost control measures that enabled results to reach the upper limit of its annual financial guidance.

Last week, Maersk reported annual revenues of $54 billion , as well as an EBITDA of $9.5 billion and an EBIT of $3.5 billion. These figures, while reflecting some pressure on margins compared to extraordinary levels in 2024, demonstrate a solid capacity for value creation, especially considering the challenges of the freight market and the overdemand for capacity in the global maritime sector.

The diversification of results within the group was also evident: the Terminals segment achieved its best historical figures, driven by record volumes, improved rates, and higher revenues from ancillary services, consolidating its role as an anchor of profitability within the organization. Logistics and Services progressed in its operational regrouping towards more specialized sub-segments, while the maritime business confirmed volume growth of close to 4.9%, in line with the global market, although with a decline in rates due to excess capacity in the global fleet.

This 2025 outlook provides the financial and strategic framework that explains the company’s strong commitment to new fleet assets: Maersk is not only consolidating its position as a dominant player in container shipping, but is also leveraging its financial strength to plan for the long term. The order book now includes 33 vessels, with four deliveries scheduled for the remainder of 2026 , reflecting a deliberate focus on managing the pace of asset acquisition so that fleet modernization aligns with market developments and customer needs.

Taken together, the order for the new vessels and the 2025 operating result point to a Maersk that seeks to align its physical infrastructure with an integrated logistics vision , where investment decisions are measured not only in terms of transport capacity, but also network flexibility, energy efficiency and resilience to the dynamics of international trade.

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El cargo Flexibility before size: Maersk’s new move in its fleet apareció primero en T21.

Even in a global environment marked by logistical challenges, geopolitical disruptions, and a slow-growth international economy, the Danish giant AP Moller-Maersk once again demonstrated its ability to navigate uncertain waters with precision. The company reported solid financial results for the third quarter of 2025 (3Q25), driven by operational efficiencies, cost control, and a sequential rebound across all its business lines. While revenue was lower than the same period of the previous year, the performance confirms that the group has consolidated a resilient structure in the face of the global maritime trade slowdown.

Quarterly revenues reached $14.2 billion, down from $15.8 billion in the same period of 2014, but with a visible improvement in profitability: EBITDA was $2.7 billion and EBIT was $1.3 billion, compared to $4.8 billion and $3.3 billion, respectively, in the previous year. This reduction is due to a natural market adjustment after years of oversupply and the post-pandemic normalization of rates. However, the strategic interpretation is different: Maersk has managed to maintain positive margins and financial discipline in a downturn, an achievement few global logistics operators can boast.

Vincent Clerc, CEO of Maersk, attributed this result to the company’s “ability to execute and continuous improvement,” as well as the sustained trust of its customers. “The new east-west network has strengthened our Ocean Freight segment, offering industry-leading reliability, higher volumes, and lower costs,” he noted. His words summarize the group’s structural strategy: to transform a historically shipping company into a comprehensive logistics operator, capable of offering end-to-end solutions and mitigating the cyclical fluctuations of maritime transport.

The Ocean Freight segment , the company’s traditional core business, registered a 7% year-on-year increase in cargo volumes, supported by the Gemini cooperation, an alliance with Hapag-Lloyd established this year, which enabled substantial cost savings and greater network efficiency. Freight rates remained stable compared to the previous quarter, in a context where competition and global overcapacity are putting downward pressure on prices. Ocean EBIT reached $567 million, more than double the previous quarter ($229 million), although still far from the $2.8 billion reported a year earlier, when profitability reached exceptionally high levels.

In Logistics and Services , growth was driven by sustained operational improvement and the advancement of its Fulfilled by Maersk platform, particularly in warehousing solutions. The operating margin rose to 5.5%, from 4.8% in the previous quarter, with EBIT of US$218 million, surpassing the US$175 million of the previous quarter and the US$200 million projected for the same period in 2024. This performance confirms the maturation of Maersk’s logistics business , which aims to decouple its profitability from the fluctuations of ocean freight and consolidate its position as a key player in supply chain management.

Meanwhile, the Terminals segment broke records once again: volumes grew 8.7%, driven by demand in the Americas, Europe, and Africa, and by an average utilization rate of 89%, with some ports operating near full capacity. EBIT reached $571 million, compared to $461 million in the previous quarter and $338 million in 2024. This trend reaffirms that ports, more than just physical links, are the operational core of the logistics integration that Maersk seeks to expand, integrating its maritime network with land-based, intermodal, and value-added services.

The group also reported a $578 million cash distribution to its shareholders, derived exclusively from share buybacks, a sign of confidence in its strength and future cash flow generation. This balance between financial return and strategic reinvestment has been a constant under current management.

Maersk raised its 2025 financial guidance, increasing the lower end of its projected range, and revised its global container market growth estimate to around 4%, up from the previous range of 2% to 4%. However, the company acknowledged that disruption in the Red Sea will continue to affect shipping routes throughout the year , a reminder that geopolitical challenges continue to shape global logistics.

The group’s operational strength is also measured by its long-term vision. Maersk remains committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 through investments in vessels powered by low-emission fuels and new propulsion technologies. This objective, which goes beyond regulatory compliance, aims to reshape the logistics business model based on sustainability, resilience, and energy efficiency.

Unlike previous years, when results were driven by historically high rates, the most recent quarter reflects a different kind of strength: that of a company that has learned to operate efficiently under normal circumstances. In an environment where margins are shrinking, fuel costs are rising, and routes are strained by regional conflicts, Maersk appears to have found a balance between growth, profitability, and structural transformation. The challenge now will be to sustain that stability when the market turns again.

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El cargo Maersk rides the tide: profitability in Q3 2025 without record tariffs apareció primero en T21.

As part of the decarbonization process of river transport in Southeast Asia, CMA CGM Group , an integrator of maritime, land, air and logistics services, announced the launch of the first 100% electric container barge in Vietnam.

In a statement, CMA CGM detailed that the barge is scheduled to enter service in early 2026 to provide logistics support for Nike , a sporting goods company.

The initiative is supported by the construction of a solar-powered charging station located at the Gemalink terminal at Cai Mep Port,  Vietnam’s main container gateway.

CMA CGM has signed an agreement with its partner Gemadept , a logistics and port operator in the Asian country, to establish a joint venture called Green River Transportation, which will operate the electric barge, which was jointly designed by CMA Ships and CMA CGM’s R&D teams .

“The facility is expected to generate up to one gigawatt-hour (GWh) of green electricity per year. This new zero-emission solution will reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 778 tons per year on the 180-kilometer (km) route between Binh Duong Province and Ba Roa-Vung Tau in southern Vietnam,” the maritime services integrator emphasized.

The initiative is aligned with CMA CGM’s global strategy to achieve “Net Zero Carbon by 2050, through a combination of low-carbon technologies, alternative fuels, and now zero-emission river logistics solutions,” the shipping firm said.

Maersk also goes electrified

For its part, logistics integrator  AP Moller-Maersk has established a partnership with transportation provider Sotraser Chile to incorporate electric trucks into its operations.

The initiative represents a significant step toward reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in regional logistics, the Danish company stated in a statement.

“The integration of our 100% electric fleet into Maersk’s operations is not only a milestone for Sotraser, but also a clear sign that the future of logistics is already underway,” said Pedro Peña Staub, Sotraser’s Electromobility Manager.

The shipping and transport companies will have the Volvo FH Electric and FM Electric models , equipped with 540 kilowatt-hour (kWh) batteries, with an approximate range of 300 km per charge.

The Foton EAuman 2554 will also be operating , which has a 350 kWh battery, with a range of around 220 km per charge.

“These electric trucks can carry between 24 and 25 tons of cargo, a figure that complies with the gross and axle weight limits established by Chilean legislation, and guarantees performance comparable to that of traditional diesel trucks,” the shipping company emphasized.

During the pilot phase, both companies successfully implemented a 100% electric transportation operation, traveling more than 8,400 km in 31 trips.

“The collaboration with Sotraser is a significant step forward. Chile’s potential for electromobility in heavy-duty transport is promising, and ongoing projects demonstrate the benefits of electric trucks,” emphasized Alexis Rodríguez, Maersk’s Director of Energy Transition Execution in Latin America.

As part of its global initiative to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, Maersk has set an interim target for land transport. The company is currently exploring opportunities in Brazil, Peru, Guatemala, Panama, and Uruguay to expand these solutions.

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El cargo CMA CGM and Maersk advance their electrification goals apareció primero en T21.

AP Moller-Maersk announced it will change the color of its containers from the traditional gray to the shipping company’s signature blue . The change comes almost five decades after the introduction of the color scheme resulting from a mix of black and white.

In line with the information that has emerged, the measure would be valid for Dry Van cargo containers, but it was not specified whether it would be replicated in the case of refrigerated containers , which are usually targets regardless of the owner company.

In this context, the Danish company announced that “in 1975, we introduced our first container line, the Panama Line, and the gray dry container became a global symbol of Maersk’s reliability. Now, almost five decades later, our containers are painted to match the color that encapsulates our more than 120 years of moving customers’ cargo.”

For his part, Sam Poulter, Maersk’s Global Director of Brand and Content, commented: “More than just a symbol of our brand and heritage, the Maersk blue is synonymous with trust . And our containers represent the trust of our customers who have entrusted their products to Maersk.”

“As our most visible brand asset, to celebrate that trust, our gray containers will now proudly bear the Maersk Blue, which is already the hallmark of our iconic ships, aircraft, cranes, trucks, vans, and logistics facilities,” he added.

Maersk is positioned as the second largest shipping line in the world, with 4,577,146 containers and 737 vessels , according to information from Alphaliner.

With information from  Portal Portuario , a media outlet specializing in ports and maritime transport in Chile.

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El cargo Maersk chooses to change the color of its containers apareció primero en T21.