OOCL reports strong revenue growth in third quarter
Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) recorded a 45.1% increase in liner revenue during the third quarter of 2026, reaching US$3.28 billion, as higher average revenue per container and increased cargo volumes supported its performance.
According to an unaudited operational update released by parent company Orient Overseas (International) Limited (OOIL) on 9 October, total container liftings increased by 9% year on year to 2.12 million TEUs.
The OOCL third-quarter results also showed a 33.1% increase in average liner revenue per TEU compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
Meanwhile, loadable capacity expanded by 3.6%, while the overall load factor increased by 4.2% compared with the same quarter last year.
The figures indicate that revenue growth significantly exceeded the increase in transported container volumes during the quarter.
OOCL third-quarter results across major trade routes
The Trans-Pacific trade recorded the largest revenue increase among OOCL’s four reported service categories.
Revenue from Trans-Pacific services reached US$1.44 billion, representing a 71.8% increase from US$837.9 million in the third quarter of 2025.
Container liftings on the route increased by 13.1% to 595,139 TEUs, compared with 526,032 TEUs a year earlier.
Asia–Europe services also recorded substantial growth. Revenue increased by 45% to US$695.8 million, while container volumes rose by 15.4% to 399,162 TEUs.
The Trans-Atlantic trade posted a more moderate increase, with revenue rising by 11.9% to US$201.8 million. Liftings reached 147,008 TEUs, up 7.3% year on year.
Intra-Asia and Australasia remained OOCL’s largest service category by container volume.
The carrier transported 981,336 TEUs across these services during the quarter, an increase of 4.6% compared with the previous year.
Revenue from the segment reached US$947.6 million, representing growth of 23.7%.
Together, these developments contributed to the company’s overall increase in liner revenue, with all four reported trade categories recording year-on-year growth in both revenue and liftings.
Third-quarter operational performance
The following figures compare OOCL’s third-quarter performance in 2026 with the corresponding period of 2025.
| Trade | Liftings (TEU) | Volume change | Revenue change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trans-Pacific | 595,139 | +13.1% | +71.8% |
| Asia–Europe | 399,162 | +15.4% | +45.0% |
| Trans-Atlantic | 147,008 | +7.3% | +11.9% |
| Intra-Asia / Australasia | 981,336 | +4.6% | +23.7% |
| Total | 2,122,645 | +9.0% | +45.1% |
The figures show that revenue increased faster than container volumes across every reported trade.
This difference was particularly pronounced on the Trans-Pacific route, where revenue growth of 71.8% substantially exceeded the 13.1% increase in liftings.
Asia–Europe services followed a similar pattern, with revenue rising 45% against volume growth of 15.4%.
The company’s overall average liner revenue per TEU increased by 33.1%, reflecting the stronger revenue performance relative to transported volumes.
At the same time, the increase in OOCL’s overall load factor indicates that the carrier transported more cargo relative to its available capacity than in the corresponding quarter of 2025.
Nine-month revenue approaches US$8 billion
The OOCL third-quarter results also contributed to higher revenue and container volumes for the first nine months of 2026.
Between January and September, the carrier generated liner revenue of US$7.96 billion, up 18.9% from US$6.70 billion during the same period in 2025.
Total container liftings increased by 6.5% to 6.25 million TEUs, compared with 5.87 million TEUs a year earlier.
Over the nine-month period, loadable capacity grew by 4.8%, while the overall load factor increased by 1.4%.
Average liner revenue per TEU rose by 11.6% year on year.
The Trans-Pacific trade generated the highest revenue during the period, reaching US$3.16 billion, an increase of 27%.
Intra-Asia and Australasia services contributed US$2.55 billion, up 13.8%, while Asia–Europe revenue increased by 19% to US$1.70 billion.
Trans-Atlantic revenue rose by 2.2% to US$556.3 million.
In terms of container volumes, Intra-Asia and Australasia remained the largest segment, with 2.93 million TEUs transported during the first nine months.
The Trans-Pacific trade followed with 1.73 million TEUs, while Asia–Europe services handled 1.17 million TEUs.
Operational figures remain unaudited
OOIL emphasised that the quarterly figures were prepared using internal records and management accounts and had not been reviewed or audited by the company’s auditor.
The group also noted that its overall financial performance depends on costs and expenses, which are not detailed in the operational update.
Consequently, the reported increase in liner revenue should not be interpreted as an equivalent increase in profitability.
The figures nevertheless show stronger revenue and container volume performance across OOCL’s main trade categories during the third quarter, with the Trans-Pacific segment recording the largest percentage revenue increase.
