Over 1 billion TEUs are transported globally each year (2025 data, Container News). For the first time in history, global container throughput has exceeded this mark. However, these freight flows are distributed extremely unevenly: 3 to 4 times more laden containers move from Asia to Russia and Europe than in the opposite direction. From South America to China, containers travel practically empty. From Africa to Europe, only a handful make the journey.
The result: Millions of containers are repositioned empty, causing logistics companies and cargo owners to lose billions of dollars on empty repositioning costs.
One-Way Lease turns this industry-wide problem into a source of revenue. Companies that utilize this model reduce their logistics costs by 20–35%.
The Scale of the Problem: Why There is Always a "Shortage" and "Surplus" of Containers Simultaneously
Global Imbalance in Numbers
According to industry research, several key imbalanced routes exist globally:
Routes with a Container Surplus (Import > Export):
Asia → Russia and CIS: 3:1 imbalance in favor of imports
Asia → Europe: 2.5:1 imbalance
Asia → North America: 2:1 imbalance
China → Russia: 4:1 imbalance
Routes with a Container Deficit (Export > Import)
Australia → Asia
South America → Asia
Africa → Europe
Russia → Asia (for finished goods)
What Happens in Practice
In Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao: Containers accumulate rapidly after unloading import cargo. Shipping lines cannot evacuate empties fast enough, causing storage costs for empty boxes to rise. Lines are often willing to release containers almost for free, just to get them moved.
In Moscow, Novosibirsk, Almaty: There is an acute deficit of containers for loading. Shipping lines maintain high rates, free time is reduced to an absolute minimum, and clients wait weeks for equipment.
What is One-Way Lease and How Does It Work?
Definition
One-Way Lease (also known as single-trip lease or point-to-point lease) is a container rental model where the lessee picks up a container at an origin depot, uses it to transport cargo to a destination, and drops it off empty at a destination depot. Returning the container to the origin point is not required.
Step-by-Step Process
Booking: You contact My-Market.mg with a request: "We need a 40ft HC container in Shanghai, routed to Moscow."
Pickup at Origin: You collect the container from our depot in Shanghai (or we deliver it to your supplier’s warehouse). A handover act is signed.
Utilization: You load the container with your cargo and transport it via your preferred method: sea, rail, or multimodal.
Unloading: The arrived container is unloaded at your warehouse in Moscow.
Empty Drop-off: You drop off the empty container at the nearest My-Market.mg depot (e.g., Moscow, St. Petersburg, or Novorossiysk — your choice).
Deal Completion: A return act is signed. Both parties' obligations cease. No further payments are required.
Key Differences from Other Models
Parameter | Classic Shipping Line Rental | One-Way Lease from My-Market.mg |
Container Return | Must return to the exact port of origin | Drop off at any designated destination depot |
Free Time | 5–10 days, rigidly enforced | 30–90 days, highly flexible |
Demurrage / Detention | Heavy penalties for exceeding free time | No penalties |
Empty Repositioning | You pay for the return trip | No payment required; drop off on-site |
Line Dependency | Full dependency on line quotas and rules | Zero dependency |
Price Transparency | Rates fluctuate weekly | Fixed price locked in the contract |
When is One-Way Lease NOT the Right Choice?
One-Way Lease is a powerful tool, but it is not universal. Here are scenarios where another model might be more suitable:
Regular Circular Routes: If you regularly transport cargo on an A → B → A route with consistent backhaul loading, classic rental or purchasing your own fleet may be more cost-effective. One-Way Lease is optimized specifically for imbalanced directions.
Very Short Distances: For intra-regional transport (e.g., within a single country), the cost structure of a one-way lease may be suboptimal. Short-term local rental works better here.
Specialized Equipment: For oversized cargo (Open Top, Flat Rack) or tank containers, one-way lease availability is limited due to the complexities of repositioning specialized assets to specific depots.
Irregular One-Off Shipments: If you only ship 1–2 containers per year, the administrative overhead of setting up a one-way lease might not be justified. Using a shipping line’s standard service is often simpler.
*The information in this article does not constitute a public offer.