国土交通省は、荷主や物流・船社・港湾関係団体に対し、世界的な国際海上コンテナ輸送の需給逼迫への対応に関する協力要請を発出した。新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大に伴う世界的なロックダウンで国際貿易は一時的に縮小したが、その後、急速に輸送需要が回復。海外主要港で滞船、実入りコンテナの搬出や空コンテナの返却の遅れが生じ、世界的に空コンテナが不足して輸送力が落ち込んでいる。具体的には実入り輸入コンテナの早期引き取り、空コンテナの早期返却などを要請。輸送コストの上昇分をフォワーダーなどとの取引価格への転嫁することにも理解を求めた。外航コンテナ船社に対しては臨時船の運航、日本発着貨物へのスペースの割当の確保、コンテナの新規調達の増加の検討を含め、日本発着貨物の国際海上コンテナ輸送力の増強、空コンテナの確保のための「最大限の努力」を促している。
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has issued a request to shippers, logistics, shipping companies, and port-related organizations for cooperation in responding to the tight supply and demand of international sea container transportation worldwide. International trade temporarily contracted due to a global lockdown caused by the spread of the new coronavirus infection, but transportation demand recovered rapidly thereafter. Due to delays in shipping, carrying out actual containers and returning empty containers at major overseas ports, there is a global shortage of empty containers and the transportation capacity is declining. Specifically, we request the early collection of actual imported containers and the early return of empty containers. We also asked for understanding to pass on the increase in transportation costs to the transaction price with forwarders. For ocean-going container shipping companies, increase the international sea container transportation capacity of cargo departing from and arriving in Japan, including the operation of temporary vessels, securing space allocation for cargo arriving and departing from Japan, and considering increasing new procurement of containers, empty containers We are encouraging "maximum efforts" to secure.