On October 30, COSCO Shipping Holdings released its third-quarter performance report for 2025.
In the third quarter, COSCO Shipping Holdings reported revenue of RMB 58.499 billion (approximately US$8.225 billion), a year-on-year decrease of 20.42%; and net profit of RMB 9.533 billion (approximately US$1.34 billion), a year-on-year decrease of 55.14%. For the first three quarters, revenue reached RMB 167.6 billion (approximately US$23.565 billion), a year-on-year decrease of 4.09%; and net profit was RMB 27.07 billion (approximately US$3.806 billion), a year-on-year decrease of 29.00%.
Since 2025, the company has focused on its strategic direction, dynamically optimized its global network layout and marketing strategies, and continued to deepen its transformation towards “digital intelligence” and “green and low-carbon” technologies, laying a solid foundation for the company’s high-quality development.
In terms of financial performance, the company’s earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) for the first three quarters were RMB 39.164 billion (approximately US$5.506 billion), and total profit reached RMB 36.895 billion (approximately US$5.187 billion). Among them, the net profit attributable to the parent company in the third quarter was RMB 9.533 billion (approximately US$1.34 billion), a significant increase of 63.20% compared to the second quarter.
Each core business sector maintained resilient development:
- The container shipping business generated revenue of RMB 161.031 billion (approximately US$22.641 billion), with an EBIT margin of 20.65%.
- The port operations generated revenue of RMB 8.925 billion (approximately US$1.255 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 12.35%.
The company has ample cash flow, with net cash flow from operating activities reaching RMB 39.982 billion (approximately US$5.621 billion), and cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period totaling RMB 170.56 billion (approximately US$23.981 billion). Investment income and interest income totaled RMB 8.702 billion (approximately US$1.224 billion), and the debt-to-equity ratio was 43.46%, providing strong support for the company to seize future opportunities, mitigate market risks and reward shareholders.
Regarding shareholder returns, the company announced its second round of share repurchase plans for 2025 in October, planning to repurchase a total of 20 million to 40 million A-shares. The H-share repurchase will be implemented under the general authorization of the shareholders’ meeting. The interim dividend for 2025 has been completed, with a cash dividend of RMB 8.674 billion (approximately US$1.22 billion).
The company continues to optimize its global footprint, with recent key initiatives including:
- The inauguration of COSCO SHIPPING Lines (Central Asia) Co., Ltd. injects new momentum into expanding trade routes between Asia and Europe.
- Two joint venture platforms, Shenzhen COSCO Shipping Smart Supply Chain and Jinling Southeast Asia Supply Chain, have been established successively.
- The Laem Chabang Port in Thailand has been completed and handed over, empowering and strengthening the construction of a regional supply chain hub.
- Newly launched direct shipping routes between Southeast Asia and South Asia, Yangpu Port and Southeast Asia, as well as the premium route between Nansha and Laem Chabang.
- Enhancing the Mexico Express and South China-Southwest U.S. routes to further upgrade the Latin America and North America corridor network
Operational data shows that in the first three quarters, the company handled 20.1843 million TEUs of cargo, representing a year-on-year increase of 6.01%. Total throughput reached 113.2775 million TEUs, up 5.6% year-on-year.