Sea containers are at the centre of a massive US cartel case against the world's largest container manufacturers. The FBI and the US Department of Justice accuse four Chinese companies and seven managers of global price-fixing.
According to the Americans, the manufacturers artificially inflated the prices of shipping containers during the corona pandemic, causing billions in damage to global trade.
The case focuses on the period between late 2019 and early 2024. According to the US Department of Justice, arrangements were made to deliberately limit the production of shipping containers.
This created artificial scarcity in the global market. Combined with the huge demand during the corona crisis, this would have roughly doubled the prices of standard shipping containers.
US authorities claim that this caused container producers' profits to skyrocket during the pandemic.
...Chinese companies control about 95 per cent of global production of standard shipping containers.
The four companies prosecuted are among the largest container manufacturers in the world. Market leader CIMC alone produces about 40 per cent of all shipping containers worldwide.
According to prosecutors in the US, secret meetings were held to agree on production numbers, prices and delivery times.
Dozens of surveillance cameras were even allegedly placed in factories to check that production lines did not run longer than agreed.
The Americans argue that not only logistics companies, but also consumers eventually felt the consequences through higher prices and longer delivery times.
The case shows how strategically important shipping containers have now become to the global economy. During the corona pandemic, supply chains worldwide came under enormous pressure.
Reliance on Chinese production capacity has been sensitive in this regard for years, especially in the United States. Previous attempts by Chinese companies to further expand their market share were blocked by US regulators.
One of the Chinese managers has since been arrested in France. Other suspects are still being sought. The companies involved risk fines of up to $100 million per company.
For the logistics industry, this case once again highlights the impact of shipping containers on international trade and supply chains. You can read more about international container flows on the container handling page.
The outcome of the lawsuit could have major implications for the global container industry and the way sea containers are produced and traded in the future.