To boost empty container turn-over efficiency, Shanghai port has opened a northeast Asia empty container transit center at Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone.

The Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) and leading shipping lines such as Maersk, CMA CGM, MSC, and Evergreen are collaborating on the new facility.

The Shanghai port's empty container transportation center for the Northeast Asian region seeks to provide empty container repair services and increase the port's empty container turnover efficiency.

"Shanghai will further deepen the strategic cooperation with shipping companies, realise mutual communication and development among shipping companies and port operators, to fix the seasonal container shortage caused by imbalance on import and export containers, and improve shipping and port logistics resource allocation and service ability," said Gu Jinshan, chairman of SIPG.

Data from China's Ministry of Transport, showed that the shortfall in empty containers at the country's major ports was 1.4% in June, down 12.2% from the previous month.

The monthly capacity of container production has been expanded from 200,000 to 500,000 containers.

Meanwhile, China, according to port officials, is making headway in eliminating the shortage. Aside from the distribution center, China has pushed its container factories to enhance production since last year.

Newbuild container output has mounted in the first half of the year according to a market analysis by Drewry. They recently reported that China’s dry box output rose 235% in the first six months of 2021 to three million TEUs.

Drewry expects full-year production to reach 5.2 million TEUs, marking a 67% year-on-year growth. 

Drewry noted, however, that despite this increase in newbuild output, there's an "insatiable demand for equipment raised utilization across all equipment types to over 99% by the second quarter of 2021, its highest level on record."