CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container line headquartered in Marseille, France, reported a sharp rise in second-quarter earnings, citing a surge in Chinese shipments as US companies accelerate inventory building ahead of potential US tariff changes.
The company said US firms are padding stockpiles while President Donald Trump rebuilds a tariff strategy that suffered a setback from the US Supreme Court in February. This front-loading of orders, combined with resilient global consumer demand and sustained corporate investment, is driving strong performance.
CMA CGM's Q2 2026 revenue, up 22% from $8.17 billion a year earlier.
Maritime volumes rose 6% to 6.3 million container units in the second quarter, while EBITDA reached $2.26 billion, up 42.4% from the prior year. The EBITDA margin improved to 22.7% from 19.4%. For the first half of the year, net income stood at $770 million, compared with $520 million in the same period of 2025.
Against a backdrop of continued geopolitical instability, the Group delivered solid results.
The company described the second quarter as a period of particular volatility for the shipping and logistics industry. Despite ongoing disruptions on the Suez Canal-Red Sea route — where CMA CGM has maintained some services since the Gaza war sparked violence in late 2023 — sustained freight rates have helped offset higher operational costs linked to the Middle East conflict.
CMA CGM also attributed its performance to network adjustments, optimized fleet deployment, and disciplined cost management. It launched new services including the Mekong Transpacific Express connecting Vietnam to the US West Coast, and introduced the CMA CGM Notre Dame, the world's largest LNG-powered containership at 24,212 TEUs.