By working closely with container manufacturers and providing quality container leasing services, Seaco has become one of the recognized global leaders amongst container leasing companies.

Although the container industry experienced smaller growth in 2013, in line with the poorer global trade forecast, Drewry’s recent Container Leasing report showed that the world’s fleet of operationally leased containers grew annually by almost 11% throughout 2011-12.

During this period, the container leasing industry experienced unprecedented fleet expansion in the first six months of both 2011 and 2012, but subsequently slowed throughout the closing part of the year. This can be attributed to the fact that there was a build-up of new-build vessels, which subsequently caused a decline in investment in the maritime shipping sector.

Although 2013 will probably see a smaller overall increase than it did in 2011 and 2012, container industry analysts believe that the lessors’ fleet growth for the first half of 2013 will be matched in the second half of the year, and still offers plenty of reason for investors to review container investment opportunities.

Drewry's added: "the box lease industry still remains generally better placed than it was prior to the downturn in 2009. Before this watershed year, leasing companies had been losing out to the shipping industry’s own aggressive box procurement programme, which resulted in a relatively weak and erratic growth rate for the rental fleet and steady loss in terms of its ownership share.

Strong industry growth

Clearly demonstrating strong industry growth, Drewry stressed that the end of Q1 2013 saw the global container fleet increase by more than one million TEU globally, including 800,000 TEU of leased containers. This first-quarter figure topped the lessors’ earlier growth of 700,000 TEU in 2011, as well as the rise of 400,000 TEU in 2012, and further illustrates how cargo container investments profit from economic growth and prosperity around the world.

Drewry’s added: “In 2014, with a containerized system that is comprised of over 27 million TEU and transported in more than 14 million vessel slots throughout the world, the investment community can expect that the Containerized Transportation Industry will continue to be a major contributor to international and domestic growth worldwide and in doing so; will offer many benefits and advantages for investors to profit from.

“After all, in the years leading up to 2014, the container leasing business has consistently outperformed the general S&P 500 index as measured by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF and the transportation index as measured by the iShares Dow Jones Transport Average ETF.

After successfully being acquired by HNA Group, GE SeaCo officially changed its name as Seaco in December 2011. The headquarters of Seaco SRL is based in Barbados, but its main decision-making organization is located in Singapore, other major institutions distributed in London, Hamburg and Miami. The sales departments are located in Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Moscow, Hainan, San Francisco, in Livorno and Paris.

Bohai Leasing was formerly known as Xinjiang Huitong (Group) Co. In 2011, Bohai Leasing took up 100% equity stake of Tianjin Bohai Leasing Co. by an asset replacement program and became the only listed leasing company in domestic A-share market.

Bohai Leasing basically covers all areas of leasing business within HNA Group, and includes five specialized aspects on aircraft, ships, containers, infrastructure, and high-end machinery. The company stressed it is “committed to build up an inside- and outside- lease platform, by giving priority to listed companies, optimizing the allocation of their own resources, and seizing the development opportunities of China's leasing industry to build a comprehensive service provider in leasing industry.”