Famed Investment Firm KKR Makes $500M Bet on Container Leasing

The well-known and respected investment firm KKR announced it is committing $500 million to the launch of a new global marine container leasing and financing platform. Seeing strong opportunities in the sector, it has decided to jump in to the business in partnership with a team of industry veterans, who previously lead another leader in the sector, Global Container International.

The new business will be led by the experienced team. Know as Galaxy Container Solutions it will be owned by KKR-managed credit funds and accounts, which are committing $500 million to the Company via KKR’s Asset-Based Finance (ABF) strategy.

“Galaxy represents an exciting expansion of our Asset-Based Finance strategy into the container leasing sector, which offers attractive downside-protected investment opportunities backed by essential global trade infrastructure,” said Daniel Pietrzak, Partner and Global Head of Private Credit at KKR. "The company is in great hands with the Galaxy team, and we’re confident they will deliver dynamic solutions that meet the evolving needs of the world’s leading shipping lines.”

Galaxy will provide a full suite of container leasing and financing solutions to shipping companies around the world, enabling flexible, capital-efficient access to the container fleets that keep global trade moving. Supported by KKR’s stable capital base and a management team with decades of experience, the Company is well positioned to meet customer needs for fleet growth and balance sheet optimization.

“This is an ideal moment to launch Galaxy, as market dynamics like lessor consolidation and sustained demand are creating real opportunities for new entrants,” said Jeffrey Gannon, CEO of Galaxy Container Solutions. “With KKR’s support, we are excited to harness our proven approach to offer our customers reliable, flexible solutions for their fleet and capital needs.”

Galaxy is helmed by Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Gannon and Chief Operating Officer Adrian Dunner, who have successfully launched and scaled multiple container leasing companies. Most recently, Gannon and Dunner co-founded and led Global Container International. The company grew to be the seventh-largest lessor of marine containers globally when it was sold to Triton International. Started in 2018, GCI was sold in 2025 in a deal valued at over $1 billion.

It was the latest in a series of consolidations in the sector. Triton had been acquired in 2023 by another well-known investment firm, Brookfield. That deal valued the company at more than $13 billion (enterprise value).

Joining the management team will be the former Chief Financial Officer of GCI, Stephen Controulis, along with a seasoned team of specialists across container leasing management, operations, finance, and sales functions.