OOIL profit falls 24% in H1 despite record liftings

The board declared an interim dividend of $0.55 per ordinary share.

Orient Overseas (International) Limited (OOIL) reported a profit attributable to equity holders of $728m for the first half of 2026, down from $954.2m in the same period last year.

Group revenue reached $5.1b. However, earnings per share fell to $1.10 from $1.44 a year earlier.

The container transport and logistics segment posted an earnings before interest and taxes margin of about 14.1%.

Liner liftings rose to 4.1 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU), with total liftings up 5.2% year on year (YoY) and liner revenue up 5.5%, marking OOCL's highest first-half liftings and revenue outside the pandemic period.

Average bunker price climbed 8% YoY to $582, driven by fuel consumption from a larger fleet.

The results cited persistent volatility in the container market during the first half. OOIL said vessels on most long-haul routes remain fully loaded, though it expects freight rates to come under pressure as new vessel deliveries continue and the peak season winds down.

The board declared an interim dividend of $0.55 per ordinary share, roughly 50% of attributable profit, totalling approximately $363m.