Chief operating officer of container maker Singamas, Andy Chan, said according to leasing companies, terminals and depots worldwide were still holding up to 40 per cent of their containers leased to Hanjin, IHS Media reported.
"Some leasing companies put first priority on retrieving their boxes from Hanjin and have postponed new box purchases," he said, adding that this would leave leasing box inventory at a very low level.
CEO of container lessor Textainer, Phil Brewer, said he also expected limited new ordering of containers because of the focus on reactivating the Hanjin units.
Modest trade growth during a financially tough 2016 saw carriers and leasing companies patching up older boxes rather than replacing their units, with the lines maintaining tight container to slot ratios.
About 520,000 containers were leased to Hanjin Shipping when it went into receivership on September 1, 2016, according to industry analyst Alphaliner.
The Container Owners Association last year released a list aimed at making it easier for shippers and transportation providers to return containers leased to Hanjin Shipping. The list detailed markings on containers leased to Hanjin and includes contact information for owners, Textainer, Beacon, Blue Sky Bridgehead, Spinnaker, Terminal Investment Limited, SeaCube, Seaco, Florens, Touax, and CAI.
Vice president of the Asia-Pacific for SeaCube Container Leasing, Kendrick Ko, did not give any numbers of his outstanding boxes, but said: "We are also in the process of recovering units from Hanjin and the progress is good." Mr Ko gave no indication of when all the boxes were expected to be back in circulation, but agreed that it has not helped the supply of containers.
"The shortage of containers is there already, since the fourth quarter of last year, and we would expect a similar situation in the first quarter of 2017," he said.
"Some leasing companies put first priority on retrieving their boxes from Hanjin and have postponed new box purchases," he said, adding that this would leave leasing box inventory at a very low level.
CEO of container lessor Textainer, Phil Brewer, said he also expected limited new ordering of containers because of the focus on reactivating the Hanjin units.
Modest trade growth during a financially tough 2016 saw carriers and leasing companies patching up older boxes rather than replacing their units, with the lines maintaining tight container to slot ratios.
About 520,000 containers were leased to Hanjin Shipping when it went into receivership on September 1, 2016, according to industry analyst Alphaliner.
The Container Owners Association last year released a list aimed at making it easier for shippers and transportation providers to return containers leased to Hanjin Shipping. The list detailed markings on containers leased to Hanjin and includes contact information for owners, Textainer, Beacon, Blue Sky Bridgehead, Spinnaker, Terminal Investment Limited, SeaCube, Seaco, Florens, Touax, and CAI.
Vice president of the Asia-Pacific for SeaCube Container Leasing, Kendrick Ko, did not give any numbers of his outstanding boxes, but said: "We are also in the process of recovering units from Hanjin and the progress is good." Mr Ko gave no indication of when all the boxes were expected to be back in circulation, but agreed that it has not helped the supply of containers.
"The shortage of containers is there already, since the fourth quarter of last year, and we would expect a similar situation in the first quarter of 2017," he said.