GERMANY's Hapag-Lloyd has further expanded its container fleet by 60,000 TEU in response to the sharp increase in demand, which has led to a shortage of containers across the world.

The German international carrier said severe imbalances - such as with exports from Asia, but also owing to congestion in ports and delays in hinterland transports - are causing containers to be tied up in transit for considerably longer periods of time, reports London's Container Management.

Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, said: "Demand continues to be very high, and the supply of container equipment is currently one of our industry's biggest challenges and demands our full attention.

"To counteract the shortage - but, most importantly, to offer our customers a better service - we have repeatedly invested in our container fleet since beginning of the pandemic."

The first boxes of the additional 60,000 TEU from China will supplement those currently being produced and are scheduled to be delivered to Hapag-Lloyd as early as July and integrated into the existing fleet.

The majority of the standard containers will be subsequently delivered in the first quarter.

In April this year, Hapag-Lloyd announced orders for a total of around 150,000 TEU of standard and reefer containers to be delivered over the course of 2021.

The new order has increased investment into its container fleet to 210,000 TEU in total - adding onto investments made at the start of the pandemic.