Samudera Shipping has seen its first-half profit jump five-fold compared with a year ago on the back of the red-hot containership market.

Net profit for the six months to 30 June 2021 was $36.7m versus the $7.2m achieved 12 months earlier. Earnings per share worked out to 6.83 US cents, up from 1.33 US cents.

The Singapore-listed intra-Asian operator attributed the improvement to a combination of higher freight rates and significant cost-management measures.