Escalation of Middle East conflict and Red Sea disruptions: The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has significantly disrupted key shipping routes, forcing Maersk to re-route vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, leading to increased transit times, higher fuel costs, and elevated insurance premiums, directly impacting operational expenses and profitability.

Global container market overcapacity: The shipping industry is currently experiencing substantial overcapacity due to a large influx of new vessels. This situation is contributing to declining freight rates, which consequently puts considerable downward pressure on Maersk's revenue and profit margins, particularly within its Ocean segment.

Global economic growth and trade volumes: Maersk's financial performance is highly sensitive to the overall health of the global economy and the volume of international trade. Slowdowns in global GDP growth or increased trade tensions can directly reduce the demand for shipping and logistics services, affecting the company's core business.