Wan Hai has agreed to lease over 5,000 containers from SeaCube Leasing for more than US$30 million. In particular, the Taiwanese liner operator said in a Taiwan Stock Exchange filing that it will rent 5,350 boxes for US$34.95 million.
Like several liner operators, Wan Hai has been procuring more containers in line with a growing fleet, after soaring profits in 2024 in the wake of the Red Sea crisis that saw boxships detouring round the Cape of Good Hope.
In May 2024, Wan Hai ordered 16,600 containers from China International Marine Containers, for US$51.95 million.
A Wan Hai spokesperson declined to disclose the lease period for the containers the company is renting from SeaCube. She told Container News: “It’s common for shipping companies to lease containers. The duration of these agreement is subject to mutual consent and will not be announced to the public.”
Christian Roeloffs, CEO of Container xChange, an online container trading platform, cautioned in its latest market forecaster that container overcapacity could arise if Red Sea transits resume, after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Container xChange account manager Arno Lindner noted that Chinese container manufacturers have stopped taking orders ahead of the seasonal post-Chinese New Year lull, reflecting a cautious approach to production planning.
Alison Koo
Asia Correspondent
