OOCL liner revenue down 26% in Q3 on lower freight rates
Asia-Europe and Trans-Pacific routes recorded the steepest declines.
Orient Overseas (International) Limited (OOIL) reported that Orient Overseas Container Line's (OOCL) liner revenue fell 25.9% year-on-year to about S$3.08b (US$2.26b) in Q3 2025 as freight rates weakened across major trade routes, reflecting muted global shipping demand.
Total liftings rose 0.7% to about 1.9 million TEU as loadable capacity expanded 4.2%, but the overall load factor declined 2.8 percentage points, according to OOIL’s unaudited operational update posted on 10 October 2025.
Average revenue per TEU slipped 26.5% from a year earlier.
OOIL said that Asia-Europe and Trans-Pacific routes recorded the steepest declines, with revenue down 38.3% and 33.2% respectively, as rates continued to normalise from pandemic peaks.
The Trans-Atlantic trade remained resilient, rising 25.4% on firmer cargo movement.
For the first nine months of 2025, cumulative liner revenue fell 8.3% to about S$9.12b (US$6.70b). Total liftings increased 4.7%, though average revenue per TEU dropped by 12.4%.
OOIL added that the container shipping market remains under pressure from subdued demand and persistent rate weakness, with recovery hinging on the pace of global trade growth.
