Overview

• PwC Deutschland’s 17th Reederstudie reports 93% full ship utilization, with 58% of executives expecting growth over the next 12 months and only 4% forecasting a downturn.
• Pricing sentiment has weakened: roughly 20% expect freight rates to rise compared with 44% a year ago, while more than one‑third anticipate declines.
• Seven in ten companies say their business is hardly or only marginally tied to domestic industrial output, and nearly two‑thirds do not expect transport volumes to shrink despite tariffs and trade barriers.
• The study flags medium‑term pressures from geopolitical disruptions and required repairs and investments, with container shipping representatives notably more worried than other segments.
• Security and geopolitics weigh on outlooks, with 81% expecting impediments from trade wars or embargoes, 92% calling for stronger maritime surveillance, and 61 of 62 Red Sea operators rerouting because of Houthi attacks.