The French owner said net earnings were $408m last year, up from $332m in 2012.
Revenue was down 0.1% at $15.9bn, but group executive officer Rodolphe Saade said the company compensated by cutting costs in a difficult market, while increasing volumes.
“In this way, year after year, we are reinforcing our position as the world’s third largest container shipping company,” he added.
The fleet of 428 ships carried 7.5% more cargo at 11.4m teu, compared to global growth of 3%.
It said this kept the fall in the average revenue per teu to 7.1%, less than the decline in the corresponding Shanghai Containerized Freight Indices (SCFI).
Costs per teu were driven down 5.3%, giving an operating margin of 4.8%, “one of the industry’s highest”, it claimed.
The bottom line was boosted by its sale of a 49% stake in ports company Terminal Link.
Looking ahead, it predicts another rise in volumes of between 4% and 5% in 2014, but rates will remain under pressure “given the persistent mismatch between supply and demand.”
