German container carrier Hapag-Lloyd reported that first-half net profit slipped 3.1% to €709 million and trimmed the top end of its full-year earnings guidance. The company now expects 2025 earnings before interest and taxes of €0.2 billion to €1.1 billion, down from a prior range of breakeven to €1.5 billion. Shares dropped almost 10% in early Frankfurt trading as the world’s fifth-largest liner operator cited persistent geopolitical tension and softening freight rates. The cautionary outlook contrasts with a surge in U.S. inbound cargo ahead of higher tariffs on Chinese goods. The Port of Los Angeles handled a record 1.02 million twenty-foot equivalent units in July, with imports rising 8% from a year earlier to 544,000 TEUs, according to Executive Director Gene Seroka. Nationwide, U.S. container imports climbed 18% month-over-month to 2.62 million TEUs, the second-highest reading on record, Descartes Systems Group data show. Despite the volume rush, shipping lines face eroding pricing power. Benchmark spot rates from Shanghai to the United States are roughly 57% below year-earlier levels as inventories remain bloated and a wave of new vessels adds capacity. Industry projections point to more moderate growth of about 3% in global container volumes for both 2025 and 2026, following last year’s 6% expansion. Profit warnings are spreading across the logistics chain. Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings, which operates ports worldwide, posted first-half profit of HK$852 million, down sharply from HK$10.2 billion a year earlier. The sector’s margin squeeze underscores the pressure prompting Hapag-Lloyd and peers to scale back expectations even as trade flows spike ahead of shifting tariff deadlines.