Trends and Developments in Empty Container Repositioning Research

ASM Sc. J., 21(1), 2026

Published on June 16, 2026

https://doi.org/10.32802/asmscj.2026.0218

Author: Zurina Hanafi, Ibrahim Mohammed Sulaiman

Abstract

Container imbalance occurs when there is an excess of empty containers in one location and a shortage in another due to the difference in import and export activity. The situation has become a critical challenge for shipping lines and the logistics industr y. One of the most important things to do to handle this situation is the empty container repositioning (ECR), which means shifting of empty containers from regions of excessive volume to regions where their availability is scarce. This study aims to identify the development, trends and research gaps associated with the research related to empty container repositioning. A bibliometric analysis was performed on 232 Scopus - indexed articles that have been published over the span of 50 years which is from 1972 to 2024. The analysis shows that the research on ECR has progressed through three phases where the first phase of slow growth followed by a significant rise after 20 years and rapid growth in publications in the last decade. The study found that there is a vast literature exists on container shipping optimisation but there is still more scope, especially in terms of incorporating carbon emissions and sustainability, reflecting a growing emphasis on environmental impacts in logistics research.

Keywords: bibliometric analysis, containerisation, empty container repositioning, factoring analysis, thematic evolution