BERLIN, 16 February (Reuters) – Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd sees its operating profit in the first quarter more than triple to at least 1.5 billion euros ($ 1.81 billion) thanks to strong demand for container transport among the coronavirus pandemic, he said Tuesday.
The company expects demand for sea freight to reach a normal level during the year.
“We continue to see slower ship turnaround times, high congestion in ports around the globe, capacity constraints in rail and truck, and the risks posed by coronavirus infection,” said Chief Executive Rolf Habben.
But pre-interest, tax, depreciation and impairment (EBITDA) gains for the year as a whole should “exceed the 2020 level, which stood at around 2.7 billion euros.
$ 1 = 0.8265 euro Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; Edited by Maria Sheahan