According to this year’s International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO) survey, the global tank container fleet hit 801,800 units on 1 January 2023, up from 737,935 on 1 January 2022, representing an 8.6% increase year on year.
In order to meet the ongoing high demand for new equipment, a total of 67,865 new tank containers were constructed, up from 53,285 new units the prior year – a 14,580 unit rise.
The survey demonstrates how, in terms of numbers, the industry is still controlled on a worldwide scale by a relatively small number of large tank container owners and leasing firms.
The top 10 tank container operators account for over 281,160 tanks, representing over 49% of the global tank container operators’ fleet, while the top 10 leasing companies account for 299,300 tanks, representing about 83% of the total leasing fleet.
“This growth in demand in 2022 was fuelled by the massive disruption and challenges in the supply chain during the Covid-19 Pandemic – which has underlined the critical role that the tank container can, and does, play in the logistics requirements of the tank container’s major customers,” said Reg Lee, president of ITCO.
He went on to add, “This resulted in manufacturers ramping up production to meet short-term high demand, The knock-on effect of this will be an oversupply of tanks, a reduction of new production – and, possibly an increase in the number of tanks being disposed of.”
