A strong year for container ship earnings is leading German investment house MPC Capital to start up dividends for shareholders.

Profit before tax for 2021 came in at the upper end of expectations at €10.4m ($11.6m), up from €1.3m in 2020, the company said.

Operations gained further momentum in a successful fourth quarter.

“In particular, the continued strong market environment in container shipping, as well as successful transactions in the real estate sector, provided additional momentum in the final phase,” it said.