Zim earned 2.2 billion d and the CEO does not deny takeover

Zim, which leads on ship charges, enjoyed a positive trend in the naval transport prices in 2024 and after raising forecasts over the past year three times, finished the year with the circumference of the raised forecasts. Revenue grew 63.3% to $ 8.4 billion, of which $ 2.17 billion in the fourth quarter of the year. The company moved from a clean loss to a huge clean profit at both the annual level, with $ 2.15 billion, and a quarterly with $ 563 million.

The EBITDA (profit in interest rate, tax, depreciation and reduction) grew 252% to $ 3.7 billion, above the top threshold of the company’s forecast to $ 3.3-3.6 billion. The number of containers in 2024 amounted to 3.75 million, a 14%increase, and the average transport price was $ 1,888 per container, compared with $ 1,203 at 2023.

Zim estimates that the crisis with the Houthis will not be resolved soon

“Zim manages to be the leading shipping companies in the world in terms of profit margin (EBITDA), and this is a great pride as an Israeli,” says Glickman. “Zim is a global company in a competitive market, and the competition is very difficult. We started 2024 with expectations that the other half of the year would be less good, but in fact during the year, we enjoyed a combination of lack of supply in the industry, and put on a lot of new and efficient ships. 4%-5%. This was the best year of Zim, except for the two years of Corona. ”

Glickman says Gatz has made “unpopular business decisions” such as not committed to long -term contracts, which increases the risk of loss if the ships are incomplete, but he said “I made a decision that I am not known under cost prices, contrary to other companies.

One of the most prominent factors in the industry supply was the Houthi attacks, which caused the shipping companies to stop undergoing Bab El Mandav and the Suez Canal. The result was the extension of transport lines, and a decrease in the extent of free ships and containers at any moment – which led to the rise of marine transport prices, a trend from which Zim and the industry enjoyed.

In the company’s forecast for 2025 Zim assumes that the conditions will not return to normality until the second half of the year, at least. The company overlooks a coordinated EBITDA of $ 1.6-2.2 billion and EBIT (interest-neutralizing interest and interest) is coordinated by $ 350-950 million. “In our work plan, we have estimated that the situation will continue until June this year, the crisis will be resolved and the ships will return to cross Suez and Father to Mandav, but as we approach the date, we do not see that it happens and realize that the recovery time will be longer,” says Glickman. Recall that only the Houthis this week threatened to hit ships. He said, “Even so, the customers tell us that they will not rush to return (to transport in these areas, SHO), because it is more important for them that the cargo comes peacefully than two or two weeks earlier.”

A number of clouds today are over Zim and the entire industry. Glickman points out some of them, the first is an unknown and unknown policy if you realize that the Trump administration will tax $ 1.5 million for any ship’s visit to China – in US ports, with the aim of promoting the ships in the US. Sometimes, one ship visits every sailing in several ants, and the meaning is a large addition to the costs. Another older cloud, which is the war in Ukraine, and there are also the Houthis.

Another thing that may be charged is the trade war, and the possibility of taking another tax on every goods imported from China to the US, along with the tariffs imposed on Mexico and Canada. And this is before we talked about commentary steps from China, Canada and Mexico. “He estimates that he will take time before cover and taxes begin to influence Zim.

With a more long -term look, how do you see the industry in a few years?
“Against the backdrop of new shipy ships – the ships are full and extend the supply times – we estimate that the shipping market will reach an excess supply state, which will affect one or another price reduction.”