Will CAI International merge with Beacon Intermodal?

The investment company Mitsubishi HC Capital (MHC) has bought international container leasing company CAI International. In 2014 this investment company already purchased Beacon Intermodal, which is also an international container lessor.

Beacon Intermodal owns roughly 1.8 TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) shipping containers, containing mainly standard dry cargo containers.

CAI has a fleet size of just over 1.6 TEU, which includes standard containers, but also a big part of special equipment.

MHC announced their interest in expanding in the container leasing sector many years ago and the purchase of CAI International fits their strategy perfectly.

Will both leasing companies be merged into one large container lessor with a size of roughly 3.5 million TEU? Are shipping lines happy to have one leasing company less, and therefore less choice?

The transaction is expected to be completed during the 4th quarter of this year, but expectations are that we know for certain only early next year.