CMA CGM expects demand for container shipping to slow this year after a brisk 2025, while instability in the Middle East has made the outlook for freight rates uncertain, the French group said on Friday.
The company, like other shipping firms, is grappling with the consequences of the US-Israeli war with Iran, which follows two years of disruption to sailings through the Red Sea due to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.
In 2026, container shipping is expected to record moderate growth. Developments in the Middle East, particularly in the Red Sea, will be key factors influencing market balance and freight rate trends, CMA CGM said in a results statement.
The world's third-largest container line reported core earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of $10.57 billion for 2025, down 21.4 per cent, as increased global shipping capacity weighed on freight rates.
Other shipping firms also anticipate a slowing of container demand this year, after 2025 activity was partly boosted by the front-loading of shipments in relation to US tariffs.
After scaling back Red Sea crossings in January, the outbreak of war last weekend has led CMA CGM to suspend Red Sea sailings, halt bookings for gulf ports and immobilise vessels already in the gulf zone.
CMA CGM has 14 vessels currently waiting in the gulf to the northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, it said.
To offset volatility in ocean shipping, CMA CGM has pursued diversification into logistics, port terminals and non-transport activities.
(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Jan Harvey)