Two container leasing products. One Way Lease since 1994.
One-way leasing under our OWLU® BIC prefix. Traditional term leasing with locked inventory holds. Same wholesale company, same owned fleet.
Factory-new (custom)
Built-to-spec from the line. Custom RAL paint, branding, doors, vents.
Best for long-term lease with branded fleet identity.
IICL
Survey-graded used. Inspected to the IICL-5 standard before release.
Best for standard lease fleets and operator-grade builds.
Cargo Worthy
Cargo-rated, structurally sound. Cosmetic wear acceptable for working units.
Best for value-tier lease and short-term project work.
Four components. One clock.
Every one-way lease quotes the same four parts — pickup charge, free days, per diem, drop-off charge. Scroll one lease end to end and watch where each lands, and where the meter stops.
on-hire EIR Free days
expire Gate-in
off-hire EIR
The container releases at the origin depot. The on-hire EIR starts the clock.
Full pricing anatomy in the definitive one-way lease guide →
Every leased unit ships under our prefix.
OWLU® is our federally registered BIC owner code. Every container we lease ships under one of three OWL-owned prefixes — OWLU®, ANYU, or LSEU — verifiable in the Bureau International des Containers public registry. The four letters on the side are the audit trail.
One-way leasing — Asia to North America under the OWLU® prefix.
The product we are named after. A one-way lease moves a container from origin to destination without a return leg — the lessee pays for the trip, not the empty-repositioning math. We have run one-way leases under our own BIC owner fleet since 1994, and the China-to-North America corridor is where we live.
New to the product? Read the definitive guide →
The China–to–North America corridor, coordinated from both sides.
Roughly two-thirds of containers landing at U.S. ports return to Asia empty. That structural deficit makes the Pacific corridor the world’s dominant one-way lease market — and it shaped the OWL operating footprint.
U.S. depots: 16, coast to coast
We keep an in-country office in Shanghai that runs depot release, factory liaison, and Asia-side commercial coordination in the local commercial day. The China-side handoff isn’t an email chain back to U.S. business hours — it’s a person in the city where the move starts.
How one-way leasing works
- 01Confirm origin, destination, and unit type
You tell us where the unit picks up, where it lands, the type (20ʹ GP, 40ʹ HC, etc.), and the timeline. Our Shanghai office confirms depot availability at origin; our U.S. desks confirm acceptance at destination.
- 02Quote the four-part one-way rate
Every one-way lease quote has four components: pickup charge at origin, free days, per diem after the free days run out, and the drop-off charge at destination. The numbers move with the spot market, but the structure is constant. Quote returns same business day.
- 03Release under OWLU®
Once the deposit clears, release goes to the origin depot under our BIC prefix. Container number, ISO 6346 plate, CSC plate, release docs — all in your inbox. The unit rides the vessel as an SOC (Shipper-Owned Container) on our paperwork, not the carrier’s — so demurrage and detention rules don’t apply.
- 04Arrival drop, off-hire survey, lease closes
At destination, the unit drops at one of our 16 U.S. depots. Off-hire survey runs against the IICL-5 standard; any repair charges above the Damage Protection Plan (DPP) threshold are invoiced. Once accepted, the lease closes. No empty-haul costs, no return-leg logistics.
When one-way leasing makes sense
Predictable per-diem clock instead of carrier D&D exposure. The SOC structure puts the cost calendar under your control from depot to depot.
Stocking a new U.S. yard from Asia inventory. Sources fresh equipment at lower cost than buying at destination retail.
Construction, infrastructure, equipment moves where the box lands at the project site and stays until the project closes.
Sourcing one-trip or used inventory for builds without paying the empty-return premium on the cost basis.
Traditional leasing — term and project, locked against your schedule.
Committed inventory pulled from our depots over an agreed term, scheduled releases against your fleet plan, structured redeliveries. Built for operators with predictable container demand — storage fleets, modification shops, recurring project teams.
How traditional leasing works
- 01Scope the term and the schedule
Volume per month or quarter, unit types, depot cities, term length, and redelivery cadence. We work the calendar against your fleet plan.
- 02Locked inventory at the depots
Once a term is signed, we hold the agreed unit count at the agreed depots. You draw against the hold as your fleet plan calls for releases.
- 03Scheduled releases on demand
Pull units when you need them. Release goes to your trucker, your address, or your modification shop. Billing structured per release or per month depending on the term.
- 04Structured redelivery
At end of term, units return to the depots we agreed on, on the schedule we agreed on. No surprise redelivery locations, no scramble at the end of a project.
When traditional leasing makes sense
Storage operators with steady monthly draws who need known unit availability without buying outright.
Recurring builds where you need a steady supply of base units across the year. Lease the shells, sell the modified product.
Multi-quarter projects (construction, infrastructure, event) where you want locked-in availability without the capital outlay of purchase.
Operations across multiple cities where you want guaranteed units in each depot — not "we’ll see what’s available when you call."
Lease from the prefix on the side.
One Way Lease, Inc. owns three BIC owner prefixes — OWLU®, ANYU, and LSEU — registered in the Bureau International des Containers public registry. Every leased unit ships under one of our prefixes, with the container number, ISO 6346 plate, and CSC plate handed off at release. A published audit trail you can check before a unit moves.
- BIC prefixes
- OWLU® · ANYU · LSEU
- NPSA member
- Since 2005
- Depots
- 16 U.S. depots
- Founded
- 1994
Lease structure is a conversation.
Lane pricing for one-way, term structure for traditional, redelivery cadence, depot acceptance windows — none of it fits a form. Ten minutes with us beats a week of email. Email works too — same inbox, same response time.
Or email sales@onewaylease.com.
Get a leasing quote — same business day.