Empty Containers Now 41% of Global Shipping Traffic

A new study by Danish consultancy Sea-Intelligence highlights the rising share of empty containers being transported worldwide.

Using teu-miles to measure the balance between full and empty boxes, the firm found that 41% of container movements now involve empties.

“The present situation is that for every 10 miles a full container is shipped, there is now a need to ship an empty container 4.1 miles – sharply up from ‘just’ 3.1 miles in 2019, before the pandemic market disruptions,” Sea-Intelligence stated in its latest weekly report. The consultancy noted this increase follows a steady five-year trend, with only a short-lived dip in 2022.

Addressing the problem, Karachi-based freight forwarder Acumen Freight Solutions explained in a recent post that global trade flows are rarely balanced.

“Some regions export far more than they import, while others are primarily import-driven. This creates container imbalances where one port is overflowing with empties while another struggles with shortages,” Acumen observed. The company noted that Asian ports often face shortages due to heavy export activity, while North American and European ports may accumulate excess containers as imports outweigh exports.