COSCO Shipping H1 2025 profit rises on higher volumes

COSCO Shipping Holdings has reported a solid increase in both revenue and profit for the first half of 2025, driven by higher volumes in its container shipping and terminal businesses.

The Chinese shipping and logistics group’s performance comes amid what it described as a volatile market, with the company continuing its share repurchase programme and declaring a significant interim dividend.

For the six months ending June 30, the group posted revenues of CNY109.1 billion ($15.0 billion), a 7.8 per cent increase from the CNY101.2 billion recorded in the first half of 2024. This top-line growth, combined with a more modest rise in outgoings, helped lift profit attributable to equity holders by 3.9 per cent to CNY17.5 billion, up from CNY16.9 billion in the prior-year period.

The company's cost of services, a primary outgoing, increased by 11 per cent to CNY86.7 billion. The improved profitability was supported by a 6.6 per cent increase in container shipping volume to 13.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), while the terminal business saw its total throughput rise by 6.4 per cent to 74.3 million TEU.

In its management discussion, the company noted that the, "global container shipping market remained volatile amid multiple factors such as the tariff swings and lingering geopolitical tensions." Looking ahead, it stated that the market, "still encounters relatively great uncertainties."

During the period, the company repurchased 102 million A-shares and 237 million H-shares, all of which were subsequently cancelled. The board also declared an interim dividend of CNY0.56 per share.