Eng
Container production in China has reached record highs, avoiding a repeat of the 2021 container shortage crisis. According to consultancy firm Linerlytica, Chinese manufacturers have already produced over 2.3 million new containers so far in 2025, up from 2024.
Linerlytica reports that at the end of May, China’s stock of new containers reached 1.55 million TEU, an all-time high. In comparison, during the 2021 crisis, a surge in demand and logistics disruptions resulted in a drop in inventories to a critical 0.1 million TEU.
Thus, concerns about container shortages have proven to be unfounded: despite delays in the return of empty containers from Europe and North America, production volumes and stocks allow carriers to operate without constraints, Linerlytica says in its review. This is largely a result of the proactive policies of Chinese factories and container lessors, who ramped up purchases in anticipation of higher demand.