上海国际海事信息与文献网

翻译：国际海事信息网 王雅媛 张运鸿

 

       疫情、贸易紧张局势和选举结果让未来充满不确定性。

 

       HMM船公司（HYUNDAI MERCHANT MARINE，现代商船，简称HMM）周五表示，公司第三季度净利润为2050万美元，较2019年第三季度的1.034亿美元亏损大幅增长。

 

       但这家韩国集装箱航运公司对前景持谨慎态度。

 

       “冬季新冠疫情的再度复苏着实对全球经济构成严重威胁。”HMM在其盈利报告中表示。“此外，美中之间持续的贸易紧张关系，以及最近的美国总统大选，将对全球贸易产生相当大的影响。”

 

       HMM表示，第三季度营收从去年第三季度的12亿美元增长了18.7%，达到14.3亿美元。第三季度营业利润大幅增长，从2019年的3880万美元增至今年的2.307亿美元。 

 

       该公司指出：“第三季度的营业利润环比增长了近一倍，营业利润率达到16.1%，而第二季度为10.1%。”

 

       HMM在第二季度的季度业绩有所好转，实现了第二季度的净利润2300万美元，同比增长1.933亿美元，而2019年为负1.66亿美元。

 

       周五的盈利报告中还称：“自今年第一季度以来，HMM在第三季度继续盈利，主要得益于其高效的船队运营，包括12艘24000 TEU船、一系列削减成本的措施以及运费的提高。”

 

       HMM在10月初宣布，所有12艘可装载24000个20英尺标准集装箱(twenty-foot equivalent units,TEU)的船只都已部署并正在装载货物。第一艘“HMM Algeciras”号于4月部署，运载了19621 TEU的货物。

 

       HMM表示，第三季度集装箱吞吐量下降了2.8%至104万TEU。 

 

       但HMM表示，预计第四季度销量强劲，“因为美国和欧洲的零售商在年底假期和2021年中国春节前继续补充库存。”

 

       公司意识到，全球航运界目前面临的集装箱供应有限。

 

       HMM称：“集装箱设备的短缺对主要的东西贸易通道造成了负面影响，目前已蔓延到亚洲内部贸易。”并补充表示，公司将专注“从其他地方(包括美国、欧洲和西亚地区)向亚洲调运空箱，以提高物流流通、减缓紧张局势。”

 

（本文版权归国际海事信息网所有，图片版权归原作者，转载请注明出处。）

 

HMM remains cautious even as profit jumps

 

Pandemic, trade tensions and election outcome make future uncertain.

 

HMM said Friday it posted third-quarter net profit of $20.5 million, a huge swing from the $103.4 million loss in Q3 2019.

 

But the South Korean container carrier was cautious in its outlook.

 

“The reemergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the winter season is indeed a serious threat to [the] global economy,” HMM said in its earnings release. “In addition, the continued trade tensions between the U.S. and China and, most recently, the U.S. presidential election will have a considerable impact on global trade.”

 

HMM said Q3 revenue was up 18.7% to $1.43 billion from $1.2 billion in the third quarter last year. Q3 operating profit took a big jump, from $38.8 million in 2019 to $230.7 million this year. 

 

It noted that “the operating profit during the third quarter has nearly doubled quarter-on-quarter, achieving an operating margin of 16.1% as compared to 10.1% from the second quarter.”

 

HMM had turned a corner with quarterly results in Q2, achieving a net profit in the second quarter of $23 million — a $193.3 million year-over-year shift from negative $166 million in 2019. 

 

“HMM continued to make profits in the third quarter following the previous quarter of this year, primarily driven by its efficient fleet operations, including a dozen 24,000-TEU container ships, a string of cost-cutting measures and increased freight rates,” Friday’s earnings release said. 

 

HMM announced in early October that all 12 ships with a capacity to carry 24,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) had been deployed and were carrying cargo. The first, the HMM Algeciras, was deployed in April carrying 19,621 TEUs.

 

Container volume did dip 2.8% to 1.04 million TEUs in Q3, HMM said. 

 

But HMM said it expected strong volume in Q4 “as retailers in the U.S. and Europe have continued to replenish inventories ahead of the year-end holidays and the Chinese New Year in 2021.”

 

It did acknowledge the limited container availability the global shipping community currently faces.

 

“The scarcity of container equipment, which has negatively affected the main east-west trade lanes, currently spreads to the intra-Asia trade,” HMM said, adding that it was focused on “empty evacuation to Asia from elsewhere, including the U.S., Europe and West Asia regions, in an effort to enhance the logistics flow and ease the situation.”