Used and one-way containers in Germany: resale, reuse and sourcing

What we do for container owners in Germany

If you hold one-way, SOC, off-hire or used containers that are arriving in Germany or already standing there, you can report them before they are unloaded. We look for a professional buyer or a reuse option near the place where the boxes are, so that repositioning an empty container is not the only option.

We do not hold stock and we do not publish lots. Every request is reviewed by a person, and nothing is shown to a counterparty until both sides are confirmed.

What we do for buyers and sourcing teams

Container traders, exporters, storage and conversion companies and other business users can register what they need: type, quantity range, region and whether the need is a one-off or recurring. When a reported lot fits, we introduce the two sides. When nothing fits, we say so rather than fill the gap with a listing.

Areas we cover

Hamburg is the German gateway we describe in detail today, and its own page carries the sourced port context. Bremerhaven and other German locations are handled on request; use the form, name the location, and we will tell you whether we can help there.

Customs status matters before resale

German customs states that goods arriving from outside the EU generally have to be entered for a customs procedure. For a container this means the status of the box and its contents should be clear before any resale is discussed. We do not give customs advice; we ask what you know about status and ownership and leave the customs steps to you and your customs agent.

• According to the German customs administration (Zoll), goods imported from a non-EU country must be cleared by customs and generally entered for a customs procedure.

Sources: zoll.de · verified 2026-09-21

• According to the Port of Hamburg marketing site, Hamburg is Germany's largest container port and Europe's third largest.
• According to Port of Hamburg Marketing, Hamburg has four container terminals.
• According to Port of Hamburg Marketing, the four container terminals give an annual handling capacity of some 12 million TEU.
• According to HHLA, Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB) handles almost one in three containers in the Port of Hamburg.
• According to HHLA, its Container Terminal Tollerort (CTT) is a compact facility using straddle carriers that stack containers in four layers.
• According to Port of Hamburg Marketing, roughly 45.6 million tonnes were moved by rail in the Port of Hamburg in 2024.
• According to Port of Hamburg Marketing, around 200 goods trains run on the port railway daily.
• According to Port of Hamburg Marketing, Hamburg is source or destination for at least twelve percent of national rail freight traffic.
• According to Port of Hamburg Marketing, the Elbe and the Elbe-Seiten Canal allow barge transport to the south and centre of Germany as far as the Czech Republic.
• According to Port of Hamburg Marketing, the port is a short distance from the Kiel Canal and is well placed for connections to the Scandinavian region and the Baltic States.
• According to Port of Hamburg Marketing, Hamburg lies geographically between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Sources: hafen-hamburg.de · hafen-hamburg.de · hhla.de · hafen-hamburg.de · verified 2026-09-21

• Submit supply or demand for Germany: 20' dry (20DC), 40' dry (40DC), 40' high cube (40HC), Reefer, Flat rack, Open top, Tank, Other.
• Dry containers are the core of what we match; every other type is reviewed case by case.