Container production in China has surged past 2024’s highs, reflecting booming global shipping equipment supply.
Asian maritime consultancy Linerlytica reports that new container inventories reached a record 1.55 million twenty‐foot equivalent units (TEU) by late May 2025.
Despite ongoing delays in the return of empties from Europe and North America, widespread concerns about equipment shortages have abated.
Linerlytica attributes this to the influx of newly manufactured containers, prompted by declining equipment costs and a surge in orders from carriers and leasing firms.
Record production figures are supported by the following Linerlytica data:
- Over 2.3 million TEU of new container capacity has been produced in China during the first five months of 2025.
- In May alone, more than 520 000 TEU of new containers were delivered.
- These volumes are expected to prevent a repeat of the 2021 container shortage crisis when China’s inventories plunged to around 100 000 TEU.
Above-expected container manufacturing also bodes well for the global shipping outlook, especially as the liner trade starts to recover from lengthy geopolitical disruption in the Red Sea.
Although global container demand is expected to dip by roughly 1.1% in 2025 amid trade tensions and subdued cargo flows, the surplus in supply should keep the market well stocked.
This abundance may stabilise freight rates and port operations, even if trade volumes remain under pressure.
