The 40ft high cube container shortage is concentrated at the main Asian export gateways, while European ports report small surpluses of the same type.
The 40ft high cube container specifications explain why this size moves first: 76.4 m³ on a standard 40ft footprint, which is why exporters of light, high-volume cargo book it before any other type.
What is driving the 40ft high cube shortage
Cargo volumes rise into the third quarter. Shanghai, Ningbo and Qingdao report depot stocks below balanced levels. Three factors sit behind it:
- Seasonal consumer goods. Exporters book equipment ahead of the holiday season, and demand for 40ft high cubes moves first.
- Blanked sailings. Carriers trimming schedules to hold spot rates return empties to origin more slowly.
- Inland rail delays. Empties moving back from inland freight centres to the ports meet local bottlenecks.
What it means for owners with empties in Europe or the Gulf
The mismatch is an opportunity. Owners and operators with empty pools in Rotterdam, Antwerp or Jebel Ali can move boxes back to Asia under a one-way lease instead of paying a repositioning tariff. The empty container surplus in Europe is covered in a separate note.
Matching the empty relocation with cargo already heading to Asia turns the repositioning leg into a laden, earning leg. Contrade coordinates the slot booking and the cabotage match so the equipment returns to the Asian export corridor with minimal delay.
Repositioning empties under structured cabotage agreements turns an empty-return cost into a cargo-revenue movement.
If you hold 40ft high cubes at a European or Gulf depot, send the depot, quantity and grade through one-way leasing and we reply with the lane and per-diem rate.
