Cosco profit rockets 81% as ocean freight revenue climbs in Q3
Stronger trans-Pacific trade helps lift Cosco nine-month earnings, while geopolitical disruption clouds the outlook.
Cosco Shipping Holdings reported an 80.73% increase in third-quarter profit attributable to shareholders to approximately $2.58 billion, as revenue growth on major international shipping routes outpaced gains in cargo volumes. Profit more than doubled from the previous quarter, the China-based company (601919.SS) said.
Operating revenue rose 29.39% from a year earlier to approximately $11.34 billion, while earnings before interest and taxes increased 69.61% to $3.47 billion. The strong performance brought profit attributable to shareholders for the first nine months of 2026 to approximately $4.59 billion, up 13.22% year on year.
The earnings surge came as geopolitical disruptions forced ships onto longer voyages, supporting container freight rates. Trans-Pacific services provided the company’s biggest growth driver.
Cosco’s trans-Pacific revenue increased 61.20% in the third quarter, compared with cargo-volume growth of 12.98%. On Asia-Europe services, revenue rose 25.74%, while volumes increased 14.64%.
This story was originally published by FreightWaves. Read the full story at FreightWaves →
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