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TEXTAINER FINANCIAL SERVICES CORPORATION
650 California Street, 16th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108


March 26, 1997


Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, DC 20549

Gentlemen:

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, we are
submitting herewith for filing on behalf of Textainer Equipment Income Fund III,
L.P. (the "Partnership") the Partnership's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 1996.

The financial statements included in the enclosed Annual Report on Form 10K do
not reflect a change from the preceding year in any accounting principles or
practices, or in the method of applying any such principles or practices.

This filing is being effected by direct transmission to the Commission's EDGAR
System.

Sincerely,

Nadine Forsman
Controller











SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington DC 20549

FORM 10K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 1996

Commission file number 0-20140

TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III, L.P.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

California 94-3121277
(State or other jurisdiction (IRS Employer
of incorporation or organization) Identification No.)

650 California Street, 16th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (ZIP Code)

(415) 434-0551
Registrant's telephone number, including area code:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

NONE

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

LIMITED PARTNERSHIP DEPOSITARY UNITS (THE "UNITS")
(TITLE OF CLASS)

LIMITED PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS (UNDERLYING THE UNITS)
(TITLE OF CLASS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required
to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was
required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days.
[ X ]

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405
of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the
best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this
Form 10-K.
[ ]

State the aggregate market value of the voting stock held by nonaffiliates of
the Registrant. The aggregate market value shall be computed by reference to the
price at which the stock was sold, or the average bid and ask prices of such
stock, as of a specified date within 60 days prior to the date of the filing.

Not Applicable.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

The Registrant's Prospectus as contained in Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement dated and filed with the Commission December
21, 1990 as supplemented by Post-Effective Amendment No. 1, 2 and 3 filed with
the Commission under Section 8 (c) of the Securities Act of 1933 on March 1,
1991, January 13, 1992 and February 4, 1992, respectively.





PART I


ITEM 1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

For more detailed information about the Registrant's business, see "Business of
the Partnership" in the Registrant's Prospectus as supplemented.

(a) General Development of Business

The Registrant is a California Limited Partnership formed as of July
26, 1990 to purchase, own, operate, lease, and sell equipment (the
Equipment) used in the containerized cargo shipping industry. The
Registrant commenced offering units representing limited partnership
interests (Units) to the public on January 16, 1991 in accordance with
its Registration Statement, and ceased to offer such Units as of May 4,
1992 when the Registrant had raised a total of $125,000,000 from the
offering.

See Item 10 herein for a description of the Registrant's General
Partners.

(b) Financial Information About Industry Segments

Inapplicable.

(c) Narrative Description of Business

(c)(1)(i) A container leasing company generally, and the Registrant
specifically, is an operating business comparable to a rental
car business. A customer can lease a car from a bank leasing
department for a monthly charge which represents the cost
of the car, plus interest, amortized over the term of the
lease; or the customer can rent the same car from a rental
car company at a much higher daily lease rate. The customer
is willing to pay the higher daily rate for the convenience
and value-added features provided by the rental car company,
the most important of which is the ability to pick up the
car where it is most convenient, use it for the desired
period of time, and then drop it off at a location convenient
to the customer. Rental car companies compete with one another
on the basis of lease rates, availability of cars, and the
provision of additional services. They generate revenues by
maintaining the highest lease rates and the highest
utilization factors that market conditions will allow, and
by augmenting this income with proceeds from sales of
insurance, drop-off fees, and other special charges. A large
percentage of lease revenues earned by car rental companies
are generated under corporate rate agreements wherein, for a
stated period of time, employees of a participating
corporation can rent cars at specific terms, conditions and
rental rates. Buying the cars at fleet prices and selling them
in the secondary market are also key elements to the
successful operation of a rental car business.

Container leasing companies and the Registrant operate in a
similar manner by owning and leasing a worldwide fleet of new
and used transportation containers to international shipping
companies hauling various types of goods among numerous trade
routes. In addition to paying a daily rental rate, all lessees
must either provide physical damage and liability insurance or
purchase a damage waiver from the Registrant, in which case
the Registrant agrees to pay the cost of repairing any
physical damage to containers caused by lessees, special
handling fees and/or drop-off charges may also be charged in
certain markets. Container leasing companies compete with one
another on the basis of lease rates, availability of equipment
and services provided. Revenues and profits are generated by
maintaining the highest lease rates and the highest equipment
utilization factors allowed by market conditions. Rental
revenues from containers result primarily under master leases
which are comparable to the corporate rate agreements used by
rental car companies. The master leases provide that container
leasing customers, for a specified period of time, may rent
containers at specific terms, conditions and rental rates.
Although the terms of the master lease governing each
container do not vary, the number of containers in use can
vary from time to time within the term of the master lease.
The terms and conditions of the master lease provide that the
lessee pays a daily rental rate for the entire time the
container is in his possession (whether or not he is actively
using it), is responsible for any damage, and must insure the
container against liabilities. For a more detailed discussion
of the leases for the Partnership Equipment, see "Leasing
Policy" under "Business of the Partnership" in the
Registrant's Prospectus as supplemented. Rental car companies
usually purchase only new cars, but since containers are
completely standardized, a used container in serviceable
condition usually rents for the same rate as a new one
although the purchase price is lower. The Registrant also
sells containers in the course of its business if
opportunities arise or at the end of the container's useful
life. See "Business of the Partnership" in Registrant's
Prospectus, as supplemented.

(c)(1)(ii) Inapplicable.

(c)(1)(iii) Inapplicable.

(c)(1)(iv) Inapplicable.

(c)(1)(v) Inapplicable.

(c)(1)(vi) Inapplicable.

(c)(1)(vii) No single lessee had rental billings for the year ended
December 31, 1996 which was 10% or more of the total rental
billings of the Registrant.

(c)(1)(viii) Inapplicable.

(c)(1)(ix) Inapplicable.

(c)(1)(x) There are approximately 80 container leasing companies
of which the top ten control approximately 93% of the total
equipment held by all container leasing companies. The top
two container leasing companies control approximately 28%
each of the total equipment held by all container leasing
companies. Textainer Equipment Management Limited, an
Associate General Partner of the Registrant and the manager
of its marine container equipment, is the third largest
container leasing company and controls approximately 9% of
the equipment held by all container leasing companies. The
Registrant alone is not a material participant in the
worldwide container leasing market. The principal methods
of competition are price and the provision of worldwide
service to the international shipping community. Additionally,
shipping alliances and other operational consolidations
among shipping lines have recently allowed shipping lines
to operate with fewer containers, thereby decreasing the
demand for leased containers. Competition among lessors such
as the Registrant has, therefore, increased.

(c)(1)(xi) Inapplicable.

(c)(1)(xii) Inapplicable.

(c)(1)(xiii) The Registrant has no employees. Textainer Financial Services
Corporation (TFS), the managing General Partner of the
Registrant, is responsible for the overall management of the
business of the Registrant and has 26 employees. Textainer
Equipment Management Limited (TEM), an Associate General
Partner, is responsible for the management of the leasing
operations of the Registrant and has a total of 138 employees.

(d) Financial Information about Foreign and Domestic Operations and Export
Sales.

The Registrant is involved in the leasing of shipping containers to
international shipping companies for use in world trade and
approximately 17.10%, 14.44%, and 19.81%, of the Registrant's rental
revenue during the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994,
respectively, was derived from operations sourced or terminated
domestically. These percentages do not reflect the proportion of the
Partnership's income from operations generated in domestic waterways.
Substantially all of the Partnership's income is derived from assets
employed in foreign operations. See "Business of the Partnership" and
for discussion of the risks of leasing containers for use in world
trade, "Risk Factors" in the Registrant's Prospectus, as supplemented.

ITEM 2 - PROPERTIES

As of December 31, 1996, the Registrant owned the following types and quantities
of equipment:




20-foot standard dry freight containers 10,528
40-foot standard dry freight containers 13,533
40-foot high cube dry freight containers 6,544
-------
30,605


During December 1996, approximately 79% of these shipping containers were on
lease to international shipping companies and the balance was being stored at
shipping container manufacturers' locations and a large number of storage depots
located worldwide.

For information about the Registrant's property, see "Business of the
Partnership" in the Registrant's Prospectus, as supplemented.

ITEM 3 - LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Registrant is not subject to any legal proceedings.

ITEM 4 - SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITIES HOLDERS

Inapplicable.

PART II

ITEM 5 - MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER
MATTERS

(a) Market Information.

(a)(1)(i) The units of limited partnership in the Registrant are not
publicly traded and there is no established trading market for
such Units. The Registrant has a program whereby Limited
Partners may redeem Units for a specified redemption price.

(a)(1)(ii) Inapplicable.

(a)(1)(iii) Inapplicable.

(a)(1)(iv) Inapplicable.

(a)(1)(v) Inapplicable.

(a)(2) Inapplicable.

(b) Holders.

(b)(1) As of January 1, 1997 there were 8,138 holders of record of
limited partnership interests in the Registrant.

(b)(2) Inapplicable.

(c) Dividends.

Inapplicable.

For details of the distributions which are made monthly by the Registrant to its
limited partners, see Item 6 "Selected Financial Data".

ITEM 6 - SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

(Dollar amounts in thousands except for per unit amounts)



Year Ended December 31,
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1996 1995 1994 1993 1992
---- ---- ---- ---- ----


Rental Income $ 21,349 23,724 23,007 22,601 20,874

Net Earnings $ 7,795 10,319 8,217 4,234 4,959

Net Earnings Per Unit of
Limited Partnership Interest $ 1.24 1.64 1.30 .66 .90

Distributions Per Unit of
Limited Partnership Interests $ 1.85 1.82 1.66 1.89 2.09

Distributions Per Unit of
Limited Partnership Interest
representing a return of capital $ 0.61 0.18 0.36 1.23 1.19

Total Assets $ 88,765 92,981 96,128 100,947 106,455

Outstanding Balance on
Revolving Credit Line $ - - - 3,450 1,500


ITEM 7 - MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS

(Dollar amounts in thousands except for unit and per unit amounts)

The Financial Statements contain information which will assist in evaluating the
financial condition of the Partnership for the years ended December 31, 1996,
1995 and 1994. Please refer to the Financial Statements and Notes thereto in
connection with the following discussion.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

From January 16, 1991 until May 4, 1992, the Partnership was involved in the
offering of limited partnership interests to the public. The Partnership
received its minimum subscription amount of $1,000 on February 11, 1991, and on
May 4, 1992, the Partnership's offering of limited partnership interests was
closed at $125,000.

The Partnership has set up a program whereby limited partners may redeem units
for a specified redemption value. The redemption price is set by formula and
varies depending on length of time the units are outstanding. Up to 2% of the
Partnership's outstanding units may be redeemed each year, although the 2% limit
may be exceeded, at the Managing General Partner's discretion. All redemptions
are subject to the Managing General Partner's good faith determination that
payment for the redeemed units will not (i) cause the Partnership to be taxed as
a corporation, (ii) impair the capital or operations of the Partnership, or
(iii) impair the ability of the Partnership to pay distributions in accordance
with its distribution policy. During the year ended December 31, 1996, the
Partnership redeemed 25,191 units for a total dollar amount of $323,
representing an average redemption price of $12.80. The Partnership has used
cash flow from operations to pay for the redeemed units.

The Partnership invests working capital and cash flow from operations prior to
its distribution or reinvestment in additional equipment in short-term, highly
liquid investments. It is the policy of the Partnership to maintain a minimum
working capital reserve in an amount which is the lesser of (i) 1% of capital
contributions or (ii) $100. At December 31, 1996, the Partnership's cash of
$2,426 was invested in a market-rate account.

During the year ended December 31, 1996, the Partnership declared cash
distributions to limited partners pertaining to the period from December 1995
through November 1996 in the amount of $11,438. These distributions represent
9.25% of original capital (measured on an annualized basis) on each unit. Of
these distributions, on a GAAP basis, $3,763 was a return of capital and the
balance was from net earnings. On a cash basis, all of these distributions were
from operations.

At December 31, 1996, the Partnership had committed to purchase Equipment at an
approximate total purchase price of $265, which includes acquisition fees of
$13. The Partnership expects to fund the purchase of Equipment with its cash on
hand. In the event the Partnership decides not to purchase the Equipment, one of
the General Partners or its affiliates will retain the Equipment for its own
account.

For the year ended December 31, 1996, the Partnership had net cash provided by
operating activities of $15,353, compared with net cash provided by operating
activities of $17,496 for the year ended December 31, 1995. This decrease was
primarily attributable to a decrease in net earnings of $2,524, offset slightly
by a decrease in accounts receivable from operations of $629. Net earnings
decreased 25% in 1996 from 1995 due to a 10% decrease in rental income and a 32%
increase in direct container expenses. The decrease in rental revenues between
periods was due to a decline in utilization and rental rates and the increase in
direct container expenses between the periods was primarily due to the decline
in utilization. Accounts receivable decreased overall due to lower rental
income.

Certain factors have adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect the
Partnership's operations. Shipping lines, which are the Partnership's principal
lessees, continue to experience over-capacity which is directly related to: (i)
the delivery of new and much larger ships and, (ii) a general slow-down in the
growth of world containerized cargo trade. This over-capacity has led to lower
shipping rates, resulting in shipping lines' need to reduce operating costs. The
drive to reduce costs, coupled with the availability of inexpensive financing
and lower container prices, encouraged shipping lines to purchase, rather than
lease, a greater number of new containers in 1996 than in previous years. All of
these factors have led to: (i) a downward pressure on container lease rates;
(ii) an increase in leasing incentives and other discounts being granted to
shipping lines by container lessors; and (iii) a decline in utilization of
leased containers. Declining container utilization is discussed more fully below
under "Results of Operations".

Net cash used in investing activities (the purchase and sale of Equipment) for
the year ended December 31, 1996 was $1,994, compared to $8,008 for the year
ended December 31, 1995. This difference is due to the fact that, on a cash
basis, the Partnership purchased more equipment in the year ended December 31,
1995 than in the equivalent period in 1996, primarily due to reinvestment of
proceeds from the sale of its trailer fleet in September and October of 1994.
Consistent with its investment objectives, and the General Partners'
determination that the Equipment can be profitably sold or bought at any time,
the Partnership intends to reinvest all or a significant amount of proceeds from
future Equipment sales in additional Equipment.

Results of Operations

The Partnership's income from operations, which consists of rental income,
container depreciation, direct container expenses, management fees, and
reimbursement of administrative expenses were directly related to the size of
the container fleet ("inventory") during each of the three years ended December
31, 1996, 1995 and 1994. The following is a summary of the container fleet (in
units) available for lease during those periods:



1996 1995 1994
---- ---- ----


Opening inventory....................... 30,236 28,426 28,122
Closing inventory....................... 30,605 30,236 28,426
Average................................. 30,421 29,331 28,274


The average inventory (in units) increased by 3.7% from the year ended December
31, 1995 to the equivalent period in 1996 and from the year ended December 31,
1994 to the same period in 1995. Average inventory increased between both
periods mainly due to purchases of new equipment in 1995 and 1996 with proceeds
from the sales of the Partnership's storage and trailer fleets.

Rental income and direct container expenses are also affected by the lease
utilization percentages for the Equipment, which were 84%, 93%, and 90% on
average during the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994, respectively.
In addition, rental income is affected by daily rental rates.

The following is a comparative analysis of the results of operations for the
years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994.

The Partnership's income from operations for the years ended December 31, 1996
and 1995 was $7,569 and $10,003, respectively, on rental income of $21,349 and
$23,724, respectively. The decrease in rental income of $2,375 or 10%, from the
year ended December 31, 1995 to 1996, was primarily attributable to income from
container rentals, the major component of total revenue, which decreased by
$2,105, or 9.7% from 1995 to 1996. Income from container rentals is largely
dependent upon three factors: equipment available for lease (average inventory),
average on-hire (utilization) percentage, and average daily rental rates.
Average inventory increased 3.7%, average utilization decreased 10%, and average
daily rental rates decreased 4% from the year ended December 31, 1995 to the
year ended December 31, 1996.

The Partnership's income from operations for the years ended December 31, 1995
and 1994 was $10,003 and $7,509, respectively, on rental income of $23,724 and
$23,007, respectively. The increase in rental income of $717, or 3% from the
year ended December 31, 1994 to 1995 was primarily attributable to income from
container rentals, which increased by $1,075, or 5% from 1994 to 1995. Average
inventory increased 3.7%, average utilization increased 3%, and average daily
rental rates were generally stable from the year ended December 31, 1994 to the
year ended December 31, 1995.

Container utilization began to decline in late 1995 and that decline has
persisted throughout 1996 and into 1997. The General Partners believe that this
decrease in demand for leased containers is the result of recent adverse changes
in the business of its shipping line customers. These changes consist
principally of: (i) a general slowdown in the growth of world containerized
cargo trade, particularly in the Asia-North America and Asia-Europe trade
routes; (ii) over-capacity resulting from the 1996 and 1997 additions of new,
larger ships to the existing container ship fleet at a rate in excess of the
growth rate in containerized cargo trade; (iii) shipping line alliances and
other operational consolidations that have allowed shipping lines to operate
with fewer containers thereby decreasing the demand for leased containers; and
(iv) as noted above, shipping lines' purchased, rather than leased a greater
number of containers. All of these factors have led to lower utilization of
leased containers, which in turn has led to downward pressure on container
rental rates and higher leasing incentives and other discounts for leased
containers, further eroding Partnership profitability. For the near term, the
General Partners do not foresee any changes in this outlook and caution that
both utilization and lease rates could continue to decline, adversely affecting
the Partnership's operating results.

Substantially all of the Partnership's rental income was generated from the
leasing of the Partnership's Equipment under short-term operating leases.

The balance of rental income consists of other lease-related items, primarily
income from charges to the lessees for pick-up of containers from prime
locations less credits granted to lessees for leasing containers from less
desirable locations (location income), income for handling and returning marine
containers and income from charges to the lessees for a damage protection plan.
For the year ended December 31, 1996, the total of these other rental income
items was $1,697, a decrease of $270 from the equivalent period in 1995. This
decrease was primarily due to location income, which decreased by $324 due to
lower demand for containers which drove down drop-off charges and increased
pick-up credits to lessees for picking up Units at less desirable locations. For
the year ended December 31, 1995, the total of these other rental income items
was $1,967, a decrease of $358 over the equivalent period in 1994 due primarily
to the sale of the trailer fleet in 1994 which had generated $455 in other
lease-related income during 1994.

Direct container expenses (excluding bad debt expense), increased by $809 from
the year ended December 31, 1995, to the same period in 1996. The increase in
direct expenses were due to increases in costs incurred for storage, maintenance
and repair (both for containers covered and not covered by the Partnership's
damage protection plan) and costs incurred for the repositioning of containers.
Storage costs increased due to lower utilization. Maintenance and repair costs
were higher in the year ended December 31, 1996, due to higher per unit repair
costs compared to the same period in 1995. Repositioning costs increased due to
an increase in the number of units repositioned as a result of inventory
build-up in lower demand locations.

Direct container expenses, (excluding bad debt expense), decreased by $1,133
from the year ended December 31, 1994, to the same period in 1995. The three
primary components of this decrease were costs incurred for storage expenses,
maintenance expense (both for containers covered and not covered by the
Partnership's damage protection plan) and repositioning costs. Storage and
repositioning costs decreased due to higher utilization rates in the year ended
December 31, 1995, compared to the same period in 1994. Maintenance costs were
higher in the year ended December 31, 1994, than in 1995, due to the accrual in
1994 for future estimated repair costs on the European trailer fleet,
subsequently sold in the second half of 1994.

Bad debt expense decreased by $300 from the year ended December 31, 1995, to the
same period of 1996, primarily due to lower reserve requirements for three
specific lessees. Bad debt expense decreased by $529 from the year ended
December 31, 1994, to the same period in 1995 due to lower specific reserve
requirements in the year ended December 31, 1995, primarily for two specific
lessees which did not require significant additional reserves in 1995, as well
as the sale of the trailer and storage fleets in 1994 which had related bad debt
expense totaling $87 for the year ended December 31, 1994.

Depreciation and amortization expenses increased by $90 from the year ended
December 31, 1995, to 1996, primarily due to an increase in the average fleet
size.

Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased by $132 from the year ended
December 31, 1994, to 1995, due to the sale of the trailer fleet in 1994 and
sale of both storage fleets, one in 1994 and the other in 1995.

Management fees to affiliates were 9.2% and 8.8% of rental income for the years
ended December 31, 1996 and 1995, respectively. Incentive management fees, which
are based on the Partnership's distributions to the limited and general
partners, were 2.3% and 2.0% of gross revenue in the years ended December 31,
1996 and 1995. Equipment management fees were 7% of gross revenue for both
periods.

Management fees to affiliates increased by $35 from the year ended December 31,
1994 to the same period in 1995. The increase is mostly due to an increase in
incentive management fees. Distribution rates ranged from 9% to 9.25% during the
year ended December 31, 1995 whereas distribution rates in 1994 ranged from 8%
to 9%.

General and administrative costs to affiliates decreased by $391 in the year
ended December 31, 1996, compared to the same period in 1995. These costs were
5.4% of total gross rental income for the year ended December 31, 1996, compared
to 6.5% for the same period in 1995. This decrease was the result of a decrease
in overhead costs allocated from TEM.

General and administrative costs to affiliates decreased by $106 in the year
ended December 31, 1995, compared to the same period in 1994. These costs were
6.5% of total gross rental income for the year ended December 31, 1996, compared
to 7.2% for the same period in 1994. This decrease was the result of a decline
in allocable overhead from Contrail International Services B.V. (CIS) and
Multi-Storage Systems Limited (MSS) associated with the sale of the trailer and
storage fleet in 1994.

Other income contained a gain on sales of equipment of $140 for the year ended
December 31, 1996, compared to a gain of $262 for the year ended December 31,
1995. The gain on sales of equipment in 1995 includes the gain on the sale of
the storage fleet. Interest income increased by $32 from the year ended December
31, 1995, to the comparable period in 1996.

Other income contained a gain on sales of equipment of $262 for the year ended
December 31, 1995, compared to a gain of $715 for the year ended December 31,
1994. The gain in 1994 was primarily due to the sale of the trailer fleet.
Interest income decreased by $9 from the year ended December 31, 1994, to the
comparable period in 1995. Interest expense decreased by $70 from the year ended
December 31, 1994 to the year ended December 31, 1995 due to repayment of the
credit facility in 1994.

Net earnings per limited partnership unit decreased from $1.64 to $1.24 per unit
from the year ended December 31, 1995, to the year ended December 31, 1996,
reflecting the decrease in net earnings from $10,319 for the year ended December
31, 1995, to $7,795 for the same period in 1996. Net earnings per limited
partnership unit increased from $1.30 to $1.64 per unit from the year ended
December 31, 1994, to the year ended December 31, 1995, reflecting the increase
in net earnings from $8,217 in 1994 to $10,319 in 1995.

Although substantially all of the Partnership's income from operations is
derived from assets employed in foreign operations, virtually all of this income
is denominated in United States dollars. The Partnership's customers are
international shipping lines which transport goods on international trade
routes. The domicile of the lessee is not indicative of where the lessee is
transporting the Equipment. The Partnership's business risk in its foreign
operations lies with the creditworthiness of the lessees, and the Partnership's
ability to keep the Equipment under lease, rather than the geographic location
of the Equipment or the domicile of the lessees. The Equipment is generally
operated on the international high seas rather than on the domestic waterways.
The Equipment is subject to the risk of war or other political, economic or
social occurrence where the Equipment is used, which may result in the loss of
Equipment, which, in turn, may have a material impact on the Partnership's
results of operations and financial condition. The General Partners are not
aware of any conditions as of December 31, 1996 which would result in such risk
materializing.

Other risks of the Partnership's leasing operations include competition, the
cost of repositioning Equipment after it comes off-lease, the risk of an
uninsured loss, increases in maintenance expenses or other costs of operating
the Equipment, and the effect of world trade, industry trends and/or general
business and economic cycles on the Partnership's operations. See "Risk Factors"
in the Partnership's Prospectus, as supplemented, for additional information on
risks of the Partnership's business.


ITEM 8 - FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA Attached pages 11 to 24.







Independent Auditors' Report


The Partners
Textainer Equipment Income Fund III, L.P.:

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Textainer Equipment Income
Fund III, L.P. (a California limited partnership) as of December 31, 1996 and
1995, and the related statements of earnings, partners' capital and cash flows
for the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994. These financial statements
are the responsibility of the Partnership's management. Our responsibility is to
express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in
all material respects, the financial position of Textainer Equipment Income Fund
III, L.P. as of December 31, 1996 and 1995, and the results of its operations,
its partners' capital and its cash flows for the years ended December 31, 1996,
1995 and 1994, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.


KPMG Peat Marwick LLP



San Francisco, California
February 17, 1997





TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III, L.P.
(a California limited partnership)

Balance Sheets

December 31, 1996 and 1995
(Amounts in thousands)



1996 1995
--------------- ---------------


Assets
Container rental equipment, net of accumulated
depreciation of $30,943 (1995: $24,768) $ 81,075 85,982

Cash 2,426 986

Accounts receivable, net of allowance
for doubtful accounts of $1,616 (1995: $1,516) 5,219 5,966

Prepaid expenses 45 47
--------------- ---------------

$ 88,765 92,981
=============== ===============

Liabilities and Partners' Capital
Liabilities:
Accounts payable $ 492 383

Accrued liabilities 35 135

Accrued damage protection plan costs (note 1) 422 373

Warranty claims (note 1) 267 306

Due to affiliates, net (note 2) 52 37

Deferred quarterly distribution (note 1) 116 122

Equipment purchases payable 580 738
--------------- ---------------

Total liabilities 1,964 2,094
--------------- ---------------

Partners' capital:
General partners - -

Limited partners 86,801 90,887
--------------- ---------------

Total partners' capital 86,801 90,887
--------------- ---------------

Commitments (note 7)
$ 88,765 92,981
=============== ===============

See accompanying notes to financial statements








TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III, L.P.
(a California limited partnership)

Statements of Earnings

Years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994
(Dollar amounts in thousands except for unit and per unit amounts)






1996 1995 1994
----------------- ----------------- -----------------



Rental Income $ 21,349 23,724 23,007
----------------- ----------------- -----------------

Costs and expenses:
Direct container expenses 3,323 2,514 3,647

Bad debt expense 254 554 1,083

Depreciation and amortization 6,782 6,692 6,824

Professional fees 34 47 48

Management fees to affiliates (note 2) 1,966 2,078 2,043

General and administrative costs
to affiliates (note 2) 1,161 1,552 1,658

Other general and administrative costs 260 284 195
----------------- ----------------- -----------------

13,780 13,721 15,498
----------------- ----------------- -----------------

Income from operations 7,569 10,003 7,509
----------------- ----------------- -----------------

Other income:
Interest income (expense) 86 54 (7)

Gain on sale of equipment (note 6) 140 262 715
----------------- ----------------- -----------------

226 316 708
----------------- ----------------- -----------------

Net earnings $ 7,795 10,319 8,217
================= ================= =================

Allocation of net earnings (note 1):
General partners $ 120 135 105

Limited partners 7,675 10,184 8,112
----------------- ----------------- -----------------

$ 7,795 10,319 8,217
================= ================= =================
Limited partners' per unit share
of net earnings $ 1.24 1.64 1.30
================= ================= =================

Limited partners' per unit share
of distributions $ 1.85 1.82 1.66
================= ================= =================

Weighted average number of limited
partnership units outstanding 6,185,397 6,205,740 6,244,044
================= ================= =================


See accompanying notes to financial statements








TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III, L.P.
(a California limited partnership)

Statements of Partners' Capital

Years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994
(Amounts in thousands)




Partners' Capital
--------------------------------------------------------
General Limited Total
------------ ---------------- ---------------



Balances at December 31, 1993 $ - 95,102 95,102

Distributions (105) (10,346) (10,451)

Redemptions (note 1) - (611) (611)

Net earnings 105 8,112 8,217
------------ ---------------- ---------------

Balances at December 31, 1994 - 92,257 92,257
------------ ---------------- ---------------


Distributions (135) (11,297) (11,432)

Redemptions (note 1) - (257) (257)

Net earnings 135 10,184 10,319
------------ ---------------- ---------------

Balances at December 31, 1995 - 90,887 90,887
------------ ---------------- ---------------


Distributions (120) (11,438) (11,558)

Redemptions (note 1) - (323) (323)

Net earnings 120 7,675 7,795
------------ ---------------- ---------------

Balances at December 31, 1996 $ - 86,801 86,801
============ ================ ===============


See accompanying notes to financial statements








TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III, L.P.
(a California limited partnership)

Statements of Cash Flows
Years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994
(Amounts in thousands)




1996 1995 1994
--------------- ---------------- ----------------
Cash flows from operating activities:

Net earnings $ 7,795 10,319 8,217

Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided
by operating activities:

Depreciation 6,782 6,654 6,787

Increase in allowance for doubtful accounts 100 50 931

Gain on sale of rental equipment (140) (262) (715)

Amortization of organization costs - 38 37

Changes in assets and liabilities:

Decrease (increase) in accounts receivable 629 (62) (2,039)

Increase in due to affiliates, net 166 381 636

Increase (decrease) in accounts payable
and accrued liabilities 9 80 (1,039)

(Decrease) increase in warranty claims (39) 296 (3)

Increase in accrued damage protection plan costs 49 4 58

Decrease (increase) in prepaid expenses 2 (2) (7)
--------------- ---------------- ----------------

Net cash provided by operating activities 15,353 17,496 12,863
--------------- ---------------- ----------------

Cash flows from investing activities:
Proceeds from sale of container rental equipment 1,355 2,178 9,061

Container purchases (3,349) (10,186) (6,352)

Decrease in value added taxes receivable - - 416
--------------- ---------------- ----------------

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities (1,994) (8,008) 3,125
--------------- ---------------- ----------------

Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayment of note payable to bank - - (3,450)

Redemptions (323) (257) (611)

Distributions to partners (11,596) (11,401) (10,459)
--------------- ---------------- ----------------

Net cash used in financing activities (11,919) (11,658) (14,520)
--------------- ---------------- ----------------

Net increase (decrease) in cash 1,440 (2,170) 1,468

Cash at beginning of period 986 3,156 1,688
--------------- ---------------- ----------------

Cash at end of period $ 2,426 986 3,156
=============== ================ ================

Interest paid during the period $ - - 73
=============== ================ ================


See accompanying notes to financial statements








TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III, L.P.
(A California limited partnership)

Statements of Cash Flows--Continued
Years Ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994
(Amounts in thousands)


Supplemental Disclosures:

Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities:

The following table summarizes the amounts of equipment purchases, distributions
to partners, and proceeds from sale of container rental equipment which had not
been paid or received by the Partnership as of December 31, 1996, 1995 ,1994 and
1993 resulting in differences in amounts recorded and amounts of cash disbursed
or received by the Partnership, as shown in the Statements of Cash Flows.



1996 1995 1994 1993
---- ---- ---- ----

Equipment purchases included in:
Due to (from) affiliates.................................$. - 86 185 (3)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities................... - - - 9
Equipment purchases payable................................ 580 738 2,929 421

Distributions to partners included in:
Due to affiliates.......................................... 10 42 7 27
Deferred quarterly distribution payable.................... 116 122 126 114

Proceeds from sale of equipment included in:
Due from affiliates........................................ 381 348 330 335
Accounts receivable........................................ - 19 587 790


The following summarizes the amounts of equipment purchases, distributions to
partners and proceeds from sale of container rental equipment recorded by the
Partnership and the amounts paid or received as shown in the Statements of Cash
Flows for the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994.



1996 1995 1994
---- ---- ----


Equipment purchases recorded............................ $ 3,105 7,896 9,039
Equipment purchases paid................................ 3,349 10,186 6,352

Distributions to partners declared...................... 11,558 11,432 10,451
Distributions to partners paid.......................... 11,596 11,401 10,459

Proceeds from sale of
container rental equipment recorded.................. 1,369 1,628 8,853
Proceeds from sale of
container rental equipment received.................. 1,355 2,178 9,061



See accompanying notes to financial statements





TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III
(A California Limited Partnership)

Notes To Financial Statements--Continued


Years ended December 31, 1996, 1995, and 1994
(Dollar amounts in thousands except for unit and per unit amounts)



Note 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies


(a) Nature of Operations

Textainer Equipment Income Fund III, L.P. (TEIF III or the Partnership), a
California limited partnership, was formed on July 26, 1990 to engage in
the business of owning, leasing and selling both new and used equipment
related to the international containerized cargo shipping industry,
including, but not limited to, containers, marine vessels, trailers and
other container-related equipment (the Equipment). On January 16, 1991,
TEIF III began offering units representing limited partnership interests
(Units) to the public. On May 4, 1992, the Partnership had admitted the
maximum number of units allowed into the Partnership. On that date,
admittance into the Partnership was closed with 6,250,000 units, for a
total of $125,000.

Textainer Financial Services Corporation (TFS) is the managing general
partner of the Partnership (prior to its name change on April 4, 1994, TFS
was known as Textainer Capital Corporation). TFS is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Textainer Capital Corporation (TCC) (prior to its name change
on April 4, 1994, TCC was known as Textainer (Delaware), Inc.). Textainer
Equipment Management Limited (TEM) (prior to being redomiciled on December
20, 1994, TEM was known as Textainer Equipment Management N.V.) and
Textainer Limited (TL) are associate general partners of the Partnership.
The managing general partner and the associate general partners are
collectively referred to as the General Partners and are commonly owned by
Textainer Group Holdings Limited (TGH). The General Partners also act in
this capacity for other limited partnerships. Textainer Acquisition
Services Limited (TAS) is an affiliate of the General Partners which
performs services relative to the acquisition of Equipment outside the
United States on behalf of the Partnership. TCC Securities Corporation
(TSC), a licensed broker and dealer in securities and an affiliate of the
General Partners, was the managing sales agent for the offering of Units
for sale. The General Partners manage and control the affairs of the
Partnership.

(b) Basis of Accounting

The Partnership utilizes the accrual method of accounting. Revenue is
recorded when earned according to the terms of the equipment rental
contracts. These contracts are typically for a one-year term and are
classified as operating leases. Certain estimates and assumptions were
made by the Partnership's management that affect the reported amounts of
assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and
liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported
amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual
results could differ from those estimates.

(c) Equipment

The Equipment is carried at the lower of cost of the assets purchased
which includes acquisition fees, or the estimated recoverable value of
such assets. Depreciation of new equipment is computed using the
straight-line method over the estimated useful life of 12 years to a 28%
salvage value. Used equipment is depreciated based upon its estimated
remaining useful life at the date of acquisition (from 2 to 11 years).
When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related
accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting
gain or loss is recognized as income for the period.

In March 1995, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement
No. 121, "Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and
Long-Lived Assets to be Disposed of" (SFAS 121). The Partnership adopted
SFAS 121 during 1995. In accordance with SFAS 121, the Partnership
periodically compares the carrying value of the Equipment to expected
future market conditions for the purpose of assessing the recoverability
of the recorded amounts. There were no reductions to the carrying value of
the Equipment made during 1996 or 1995.

(d) Nature of Income from Operations

Although substantially all of the Partnership's income from operations is
derived from assets employed in foreign operations, virtually all of this
income is denominated in United States dollars. The Partnership's
customers are international shipping lines that transport goods on
international trade routes. Once the Equipment is on-hire with a lessee,
the Partnership has no way of knowing its location. The domicile of the
lessee is not indicative of where the lessee is transporting the
Equipment. The Partnership's business risk in its foreign operations lies
with the creditworthiness of the lessees rather than the geographic
location of the Equipment or the domicile of the lessees. No single lessee
accounted for more than 10% of the Partnership's revenues for the years
ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994.

(e) Allocation of Net Earnings and Partnership Distributions

In accordance with the Partnership Agreement, net earnings or losses and
partnership distributions are allocated 1% to the General Partners and 99%
to the limited partners with the exception of gross income, as defined in
the Partnership Agreement. Gross income is allocated to the General
Partners to the extent that their capital accounts' deficit exceed the
portion of syndication and offering costs allocated to them. On
termination of the Partnership the General Partners shall be allocated
gross income equal to their allocations of syndication and offering costs.

Actual cash distributions to the Limited Partners differ from the
allocated net earnings as presented in these financial statements because
cash distributions are based on cash available for distribution. Cash
distributions are paid to the general and limited partners on a monthly
basis in accordance with the provisions of the Partnership Agreement. Some
limited partners have elected to have their distributions paid quarterly.
The Partnership has recorded these distributions as an accrued liability
at December 31, 1996 and 1995.

(f) Income Taxes

The Partnership is not subject to income taxes. Accordingly, no provision
for income taxes has been made. The Partnership files federal and state
information returns only. Taxable income or loss is reportable by the
individual partners.

(g) Value-added Taxes Receivable

During 1993 and 1992, the Partnership purchased trailer and storage
equipment from foreign manufacturers which was subject to value-added
taxes. These value-added taxes were fully refunded to the Partnership
during 1994.

(h) Organization Costs

Organization costs were amortized on a straight-line basis over five
years. These costs were fully amortized during 1995.

(i) Acquisition Fees

In accordance with the Partnership Agreement, acquisition fees are paid to
the General Partners or TAS equal to 5% of Equipment purchase price (see
note 2). These fees are capitalized as part of the cost of the Equipment.

(j) Damage Protection Plan

The Partnership offers a Damage Protection Plan (the Plan) to lessees of
its Equipment. Under the terms of the Plan, the Partnership earns
additional revenues on a daily basis and, as a result, has agreed to bear
certain repair costs. It is the Partnership's policy to recognize these
revenues when earned and provide a reserve sufficient to cover the
Partnership's obligation for estimated future repair costs. At December
31, 1996 and 1995, this reserve was equal to $422 and $373, respectively.

(k) Warranty Claims

During 1992 and 1995, the Partnership settled warranty claims against an
equipment manufacturer. The Partnership is amortizing the settlement
amounts over the remaining useful life of the equipment (between seven and
eight years), reducing maintenance and repair costs over that time. At
December 31, 1996 and 1995, the unamortized portion of the settlement
amounts was equal to $267 and $306, respectively.

(l) Limited Partners' Per Unit Share of Net Earnings and Distributions

Limited partners' per unit share of both net earnings and distributions
were computed using the weighted average number of units outstanding
during each year of the Partnership's operations which was 6,185,397,
6,205,740, and 6,244,044 during the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995
and 1994, respectively.

(m) Redemptions

The following redemption offerings were consummated by the Partnership
during the years ended 1996, 1995 and 1994:



Average
Units Redeemed Redemption Price Amount Paid



Year ended December 31, 1994:
3rd quarter................ 15,760 $16.38 $ 258
4th quarter................ 22,271 $15.86 353
------ ---

38,031 $16.08 611
------ ---

Year ended December 31, 1995:
1st quarter................. 3,570 $14.63 52
3rd quarter................. 8,106 $14.12 114
4th quarter................. 6,200 $14.61 91
----- ----
17,876 $14.39 257
------ ---


Year ended December 31, 1996:
1st quarter................. 4,350 $13.94 61
3rd quarter................. 14,265 $12.88 184
4th quarter................. 6,576 $11.86 78
----- ----
25,191 $12.80 323
------ ---

Partnership to date............. 81,098 $14.69 $ 1,191
====== =====



The redemption price is fixed by formula and varies depending on the
length of time the units have been outstanding.

(n) Fair Value of Financial Instruments

To meet the reporting requirements of Financial Accounting Standards Board
Statement No. 107, "Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial
Instruments," the Partnership calculates the fair value of financial
instruments and includes this additional information in the notes to the
financial statements when the fair value is different than the book value
of those financial instruments. At December 31, 1996 and 1995, the fair
value of the Partnership's financial instruments approximate the related
book value of such instruments.

(o) Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications, not affecting net earnings, have been made to
prior year amounts in order to conform with the 1996 financial statement
presentation.

Note 2. Transactions with Affiliates

During the offering period, the Partnership paid a managing sales agent
fee to TSC of up to 9% of the gross proceeds from the sale of limited
partnership units, from which TSC paid commissions to independent
participating broker/dealers who participated in the offering.
Additionally, the Partnership reimbursed the General Partners and TSC for
certain organizational and offering costs, incurred in connection with the
organization of the Partnership, up to a maximum of 6% of gross proceeds
raised as allowed in the Partnership Agreement. These amounts, which
totaled $14,800, were deducted as syndication and offering costs in the
determination of net limited partnership contributions. Organization
expenses, which resulted from the formation of the Partnership, were
capitalized as organization costs and were fully amortized in 1995.

As part of the operation of the Partnership, the Partnership is to pay to
the General Partners or TAS an incentive management fee, an acquisition
fee, an equipment management fee and an equipment liquidation fee. These
fees are for various services provided in connection with the
administration and management of the Partnership. The Partnership
capitalized $156, $480, and $294 of equipment acquisition fees as part of
the Equipment costs during the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and
1994, respectively, and incurred $481, $477, and $440 of incentive
management fees in 1996, 1995 and 1994, respectively. No equipment
liquidation fees were paid in 1996, 1995 or 1994.

The Equipment of the Partnership is managed by TEM. Prior to the
Partnership's sale of its storage fleets during 1994 and 1995 and its
trailer fleet during 1994, TEM had entered into agreements with its
100%-owned subsidiaries Textainer Storage Services (TSS) and Multi-Storage
Systems Limited (MSS) to manage these storage containers and its 50%-owned
subsidiary Contrail International Services B.V. (CIS) to manage these
trailers (note 6). In its role as manager, TEM has authority to acquire,
hold, manage, lease, sell and dispose of the Partnership's Equipment.
Additionally, TEM holds, for the payment of direct operating expenses, a
reserve of cash that has been collected from container leasing operations;
such cash is included in the amount due from affiliates at December 31,
1996 and 1995.

Subject to certain reductions, TEM receives a monthly equipment management
fee equal to 7% of gross lease revenues attributable to operating leases
and 2% of gross lease revenues attributable to full payout net leases.
Such fee is either retained by TEM or, prior to the sale of its storage
and container fleets, the fee allocable to CIS, TSS and MSS, if any, was
passed through by TEM for services rendered. During the years ended
December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994, the Partnership paid $1,485, $1,601, and
$1,603, respectively, in equipment management fees to TEM, CIS, TSS and
MSS. The Partnership's Equipment is or was leased by TEM, CIS, TSS and MSS
to third party lessees on operating master leases, spot leases, full
payout net leases and term leases. The majority are operating leases with
limited terms and no purchase option.

Certain indirect general and administrative costs such as salaries,
employee benefits, taxes and insurance, are incurred in performing
administrative services necessary to the operation of the Partnership.
These costs are borne by TFS, TEM and, prior to the sales of its storage
and trailer fleets, TSS, MSS and CIS. During 1996, 1995 and 1994 costs
allocated to the Partnership for salaries were $610, $773, and $926,
respectively and other general and administrative costs were $551, $779,
and $732, respectively.

TEM, TSS, MSS and CIS allocate these costs based on the ratio of the
Partnership's interest in managed Equipment to the total equipment managed
by TEM, TSS, MSS and CIS during the period. Indirect general and
administrative costs allocated to the Partnership by TEM, TSS, MSS and CIS
were $1,011, $1,326, and $1,434 during 1996, 1995 and 1994, respectively.

TFS allocates indirect general and administrative costs to the Partnership
based on the ratio of the Partnership's Equipment to the total Equipment
of all limited partnerships managed by TFS. TFS allocated $150, $226 and
$224 of these indirect costs to the Partnership during 1996, 1995 and
1994, respectively.

The General Partners or TAS may acquire Equipment in their own name and
hold title on a temporary basis for the purpose of facilitating the
acquisition of such Equipment for the Partnership. The Equipment may then
be resold to the Partnership on an all-cash basis at a price equal to the
actual cost, as defined in the Partnership Agreement. In addition, the
General Partners or TAS are entitled to an acquisition fee for any
Equipment resold to the Partnership.

At December 31, 1996 and 1995, due from and to affiliates are comprised
of:



1996 1995
---- ----

Due from affiliates:
Due from TEM and TSS ........................... $ 27 119
-- ---



Due to affiliates:
Due to TAS...................................... - 54
Due to TFS...................................... 52 76
Due to TL and TGH............................... 1 10
Due to TCC...................................... 26 16
---- ----
79 156
---- ---

Net due to affiliates $ 52 37
==== ====


These amounts receivable from and payable to affiliates were incurred in
the ordinary course of business between the Partnership and its affiliates
and represent timing differences in the accrual and payment of expenses
and fees described above or in the accrual and remittance of net rental
revenues from TEM and TSS.

Prior to July, 1994, it was the policy of the Partnership and the General
Partners to charge interest on intercompany balances which are outstanding
for more than one month. Interest was charged at the prime rate plus 2%.
As of July 1994, this policy was changed so that the Partnership is not
charged interest on intercompany balances except for loans on equipment
purchases. Interest is charged at a rate not greater than the General
Partners' or affiliates' own cost of funds. The Partnership incurred
interest expense of $5 on intercompany balances payable to TFS and TEM for
the year ended December 31, 1994. There was no interest expense incurred
on intercompany balances for the years ended December 31, 1995 or 1996.

Note 3. Rentals under Operating Leases

The following is a schedule by year of minimum future rentals receivable
on noncancelable operating leases as of December 31, 1996:



Year ending December 31:


1997.................................................... $ 1,520
1998.................................................... 233
1999.................................................... 86
2000.................................................... 7
-------

Total minimum future rentals receivable.................. $ 1,846
=====


Note 4. Note Payable

On December 9, 1992, the Partnership was granted a revolving credit line
with an available limit of $4,000 which was available for equipment
purchases. In 1994, the credit line was repaid in full and terminated.

Note 5. Income Taxes

As of December 31, 1996, 1995, and 1994, there were temporary differences
of $46,956, $36,275, and $34,024 respectively, between the financial
statement carrying value of certain assets and liabilities and the federal
income tax basis of such assets and liabilities. The reconciliation of net
income for financial statement purposes to net loss for federal income tax
purposes for the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994 is as
follows:



1996 1995 1994
---- ---- ----


Net income per financial statements........................... $ 7,795 10,319 8,217

Increase in provision for bad debt............................ 100 50 931
Depreciation for income tax purposes in excess of
depreciation for financial statement purposes............... (11,757) (11,289) (10,384)
Gain on sale of fixed assets in excess of gain
recognized for financial statement purposes................. 703 491 1,651
Increase in damage protection plan reserve.................... 49 4 58
Decrease in reserve for
trailer maintenance and repairs............................. - (2) (791)
Increase (decrease) in warranty claim......................... 260 (3) (3)
Other......................................................... - 36 33
---------- --------- --------

Net loss for federal income tax purposes...................... $ (2,850) (394) (288)
======== ========= =======


Note 6. Sale of Trailer and Storage Fleet

In August 1995, the Partnership sold its storage container fleet, managed
by TSS, to a third party investor. The proceeds from the sale were $345
compared to the Partnership's cost basis in the equipment of $333. The
resulting gain from the sale was $12. The Partnership has invested the
proceeds from this sale into marine container rental equipment.


In the second half of 1994, the Partnership sold its trailer fleet,
managed by CIS, to an unrelated purchaser. The proceeds from the sale were
approximately $6,033 compared to the Partnership's cost basis in the
equipment of approximately $5,433. (This cost basis does not include the
repair reserve of $807 which the Partnership maintained while it owned the
equipment.) The resulting gain from the sale was approximately $600. The
Partnership has invested the proceeds from the sale into marine container
equipment.


In the second quarter of 1994, the Partnership sold a portion of the MSS
refrigerated storage container fleet as an installment sale with twelve
quarterly payments. An imputed interest rate of 10% was used to calculate
principal and interest associated with the installment payments.
Throughout 1994, the remaining MSS fleet was sold. The Partnership
recognized losses on the sales of approximately $217. During 1993, the
Partnership recorded a provision of $214 to write down the refrigerator
storage container fleet to its estimated net realizable value. The
Partnership has invested the proceeds from this sale into marine container
rental equipment.

Note 7. Commitments

At December 31, 1996, the Partnership has committed to purchase Equipment
at an approximate total purchase price of $265 which includes acquisition
fees of $13. These commitments were made to TAS which, as the contracting
party, has in turn committed to purchase this equipment on behalf of the
Partnership.







ITEM 9 - CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

There have been none.


PART III


ITEM 10 - DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

The Registrant has no officers or directors.

As described in the Prospectus, the Registrant's three original general partners
were TCC, TEM and TI which have comprised the Textainer Group. Effective October
1, 1993, the Textainer Group streamlined its organization by forming a new
holding company, Textainer Group Holdings Limited (TGH), and the shareholders of
the underlying companies which include the General Partners have accepted shares
in TGH in exchange for their shares in the individual companies. Textainer
Financial Services Corporation (TFS) is the managing general partner of the
Partnership (prior to its name change on April 4, 1994, TFS was known as
Textainer Capital Corporation). TFS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textainer
Capital Corporation (TCC) (prior to its name change on April 4,1994, TCC was
known as Textainer (Delaware) Inc.). Textainer Equipment Management Limited
(TEM) is an associate general partner of the Partnership. Textainer Inc. (TI)
was an associate general partner of the Partnership through September 30, 1993
when it was replaced in that capacity by Textainer Limited (TL) pursuant to a
corporate reorganization effective October 1, 1993 which caused TFS, TEM and TL
to fall under the common ownership of Textainer Group Holdings Limited. (The
managing general partner and associate general partners are collectively
referred to as the General Partners). Pursuant to this restructuring, TI
transferred substantially all of its assets including all of its rights and
duties as associate general partner to TL. This transfer was effective from
October 1, 1993. The end result was that TFS, TEM and TL now serve as General
Partners for the Registrant and are wholly-owned or substantially-owned
subsidiaries of TGH. The General Partners also act in this capacity for other
limited partnerships. Textainer Acquisition Services Limited (TAS), is an
affiliate of the General Partners, which performs services relative to the
acquisition of Equipment outside the United States on behalf of the Partnership.
TCC Securities Corporation (TSC), a licensed broker and dealer in securities and
an affiliate of the General Partners, was the managing sales agent for the
offering of Units for sale.

TFS, as the Managing General Partner, is responsible for managing the
administration and operation of the Registrant, and for the formulation and
administration of investment policies.

TEM, an Associate General Partner, manages all aspects of the operation of the
Registrant's Equipment.

TL, an Associate General Partner, owns a fleet of container rental equipment
which is managed by TEM. TL provides advice to the Partnership regarding
negotiations with financial institutions, manufacturers and equipment owners,
and regarding the terms upon which particular items of Equipment are acquired.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance.

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires the
Partnership's General Partners, policy-making officials and persons who
beneficially own more than ten percent of the Units to file reports of
ownership and changes in ownership with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Copies of these reports must also be furnished to the
Partnership.

Based solely on a review of the copies of such forms furnished to the
Partnership or on written representations that no forms were required to
be filed, the Partnership believes that with respect to its most recent
fiscal year ended December 31, 1996, all Section 16(a) filing requirements
were complied with, except that Philip K. Brewer filed his initial
statement of beneficial interest on Form 3 late. No director, officer, or
beneficial owner owned more than 10 percent of any interest in the
Partnership. None of the foregoing failed to file or filed late any
reports of transactions in the Units.

The directors and executive officers of the General Partners are as follows:



Name Age Position


Neil I. Jowell 63 Director and Chairman of TGH, TEM, TL, TFS and TCC

James E. Hoelter 57 President and CEO of TGH, TL, TFS and TCC, Director of TGH, TEM, TL, TFS,
TCC and TSC
John A. Maccarone 52 President and CEO of TEM, Vice President of TGH, Director of TGH, TEM, TL,
TFS, TCC and TSC
Cara D. Smith 34 President and CEO of TSC and Director of TCC and TFS
John R. Rhodes 47 Executive Vice President, CFO, and Secretary of TGH, TEM, TL, TFS and TCC
and Director of TEM, TFS and TCC
Alex M. Brown 58 Director of TGH, TEM, TL, TCC and TSC
Harold J. Samson 75 Director of TGH, TL and TSC
Philip K. Brewer 40 Senior Vice President - Capital Markets for TGH and TL
Robert D. Pedersen 38 Senior Vice President - Marketing for TEM
Anthony C. Sowry 44 Vice President - Operations and Acquisitions for TEM
Jens W. Palludan 46 Vice President - Americas/Africa/Australia for TEM
Robert S.A. Goodall 39 Vice President - Europe/Middle East/India for TEM
Wing Sing Mak 39 Vice President - South Asia for TEM
Masanori Sagara 41 Vice President - North Asia for TEM
Stefan Mackula 44 Vice President - Equipment Resale for TEM
Ernest J. Furtado 41 Vice President, Finance and Assistant Secretary of TGH, TEM and TL
Richard G. Murphy 44 Vice President - Risk Management for TEM
Janet S. Ruggero 48 Vice President - Administration and Marketing Services for TEM
Adnan Z. Abou Ayyash 52 Director of TGH and TL
Isam K. Kabbani 62 Director of TGH and TL
S. Arthur Morris 63 Director of TGH, TEM and TL
Dudley R. Cottingham 45 Assistant Secretary, Vice President and Director of TGH, TEM and TL
James S. McCaffrey 41 Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Assistant Secretary and
Director for TFS and TCC
Jeanene K. Gomes 43 Assistant Secretary of TFS and TCC, Secretary and Compliance Officer of TSC



Neil I. Jowell is Director and Chairman of TGH, TEM, TL, TFS and TCC
and a member of the Investment Advisory Committee and Equipment Investment
Committee (see "Committees" below). He has served on the Board of Trencor Ltd.
since 1966 and as Chairman since 1973. He is also a director of Mobile
Industries, Ltd. (1969 to present), an Affiliate of Trencor, and a non-executive
director of Forward Corporation Ltd. (1993 to present). Trencor is a publicly
traded diversified industrial group listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Its business is the leasing, owning, managing and financing of marine cargo
containers worldwide and the manufacture and export of containers for
international markets. In South Africa, it is engaged in manufacturing,
transport, trading and exports of general commodities. Trencor also has an
interest in Forward Corporation Ltd., a publicly traded holding company listed
on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It has interests in industrial and consumer
businesses operating in South Africa and abroad. Mr. Jowell became affiliated
with the General Partners and its affiliates when Trencor became, through its
beneficial ownership in two controlled companies, a major shareholder of the
Textainer Group in 1992. Mr. Jowell has over 36 years' experience in the
transportation industry. He holds an M.B.A. degree from Columbia University and
a B.Com.L.L.B. from the University of Cape Town.

James E. Hoelter is President and Chief Executive Officer of TGH, TL,
TFS and TCC and a director of TGH, TEM, TL, TFS, TCC and TSC. As President and
Chief Executive Officer of TGH, Mr. Hoelter is responsible for overseeing the
management of, and coordinating the activities of, TEM, TL, TFS and TCC. He is
also responsible for overseeing TEM's equipment management operations. In
addition, Mr. Hoelter is Chairman of the Credit Committee, the Investment
Advisory Committee and the Equipment Investment Committee (see "Committees",
below). Prior to joining the Textainer Group in 1987, Mr. Hoelter was president
of Intermodal Equipment Associates ("IEA") in San Francisco, California, from
the company's inception in 1979 until 1987. Mr. Hoelter co-founded IEA and
directed its sponsorship of ten public and private investment programs, which
provided more than $100 million of equity from 10,000 investors. From 1976 to
1978, Mr. Hoelter was Vice President - North America for Trans Ocean Ltd., San
Francisco, a marine container leasing company, where he was responsible for all
leasing operations in that area. From 1971 to 1976, he was associated with Itel
Corporation, San Francisco, where he held a number of positions, the most recent
of which was director of financial leasing for Itel's Container Division. Mr.
Hoelter received his B.B.A. in business administration from the University of
Wisconsin, where he currently serves as a member of its Business School's Dean's
Advisory Board, and his M.B.A from the Harvard Graduate School of Business
Administration.

John A. Maccarone is President and CEO of TEM, Vice President of TGH
and a director of TGH, TEM, TL, TFS, TCC and TSC. In this capacity he is
responsible for the performance of TEM's worldwide fleet of marine cargo
containers. Additionally, he is a member of the Equipment Investment Committee,
the Credit Committee and the Investment Advisory Committee (see "Committees",
below). Mr. Maccarone was instrumental in co-founding IEA with Mr. Hoelter and
held a variety of executive positions with IEA from 1979 until 1987, when he
joined the Textainer Group. Mr. Maccarone was previously a Director of Marketing
for Trans Ocean Leasing Corporation in Hong Kong with responsibility for all
leasing activities in Southeast Asia. From 1969 to 1977, Mr. Maccarone was a
marketing representative for IBM Corporation. He holds a B.S. degree in
Engineering Management from Boston University and an M.B.A. from Loyola
University of Chicago.

Cara D. Smith is President and Chief Executive Officer of TSC, a
director of TFS and TCC and a member of the Investment Advisory Committee (see
"Committees", below). In this capacity Ms. Smith is responsible for the
organization, marketing and after-market support of TSC's investment programs.
Ms. Smith joined Textainer in 1992, and prior to 1996, was Vice President
of Marketing. Ms. Smith has worked in the securities industry for the past 13
years. Ms. Smith's extensive experience ranges from compliance and investor
relations to administration and marketing of equipment leasing, multi-family
housing and tax credit investment programs. She holds five securities licenses
and is a registered principal. Ms. Smith is also a member of the International
Association of Financial Planners.


John R. Rhodes is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
and Secretary of TGH, TEM, TL, TFS and TCC and a director of TEM, TFS and TCC.
In this capacity he is responsible for all accounting, financial management, and
reporting functions for the Textainer Group. He is also a member of the Credit
Committee, the Equipment Investment Committee and Investment Advisory Committee
(see "Committees", below). Prior to joining Textainer in November 1987, Mr.
Rhodes was Vice President of Finance for Greenbrier Capital Corporation in San
Francisco, a trailer leasing and management company, from 1986 to 1987; from
1981 to 1985, he was employed by Gelco Rail Services, an intermodal refrigerated
trailer company in San Francisco, first in the capacity of Vice President and
Controller and then as Senior Vice President and General Manager. Mr. Rhodes'
earlier business affiliations include serving as Vice President and General
Manager of Itel Capital Corporation and as senior accountant with Arthur
Andersen & Co., both in San Francisco. He is a Certified Public Accountant and
holds a B.A. in economics from Stanford University and an M.B.A. in accounting
from Golden Gate University.

Alex M. Brown is a director of TGH, TEM, TL, TCC and TSC.
Additionally, he is a member of the Equipment Investment Committee and the
Investment Advisory Committee (see "Committees", below). Mr. Brown became
affiliated with the Textainer Group in April 1986. From August 4, 1987 until
October 1993, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Textainer, Inc.
and the Chairman of the Textainer Group. From June 1993 to present, Mr. Brown
has been Chief Executive Officer of AAF, a company affiliated with Trencor Ltd.
AAF is a publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange and is involved in
manufacturing and leasing modular buildings and construction scaffolding. Mr.
Brown is Chairman of WACO International Corporation, which is based in
Cleveland, Ohio. WACO manufactures, rents and erects scaffolding and other
associated construction products throughout the USA. Mr. Brown was the managing
director of Cross County Leasing in England from 1984 until it was acquired by
Textainer in 1986.

Harold J. Samson is a director of TGH, TL and TSC and is a member of
the Investment Advisory Committee (see "Committees", below). Mr. Samson
served as a consultant to various securities firms since 1981 to 1989. From
1974 to 1981 he was Executive Vice President of Foster & Marshall, Inc., a New
York Stock Exchange member firm based in Seattle. Mr. Samson was a director
of IEA from 1979 to 1981. From 1957 to 1984 he served as Chief Financial Officer
in several New York Stock Exchange member firms. Mr. Samson holds a B.S. in
Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley and is a
California Certified Public Accountant.

Philip K. Brewer is Senior Vice President - Capital Markets for
TGH and TL. Mr. Brewer is responsible for optimizing the capital structure
of and identifying new sources of finance for Textainer. Prior to joining
Textainer in 1996, Mr. Brewer worked at Bankers Trust from 1990 to 1996,
starting as a Vice President in Corporate Finance and ending as Managing
Director and Country Manager for Indonesia; from 1989 to 1990, he was Vice
President in Corporate Finance at Jarding Fleming; from 1987 to 1989, he was
Capital Markets Advisor to the United States Agency for International
Development; and from 1984 to 1987 he was an Associate with Drexel Burnham
Lambert in New York. Mr. Brewer holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the Graduate
School of Business at Columbia University, and a B.A. in Economics and
Political Science from Colgate University.

Robert D. Pedersen is based in San Francisco and is Senior Vice
President - Marketing for TEM, responsible for worldwide sales and marketing
related activities. Mr. Pedersen is a member of the Credit Committee (see
"Committees" below). He joined TEM in 1991 as Regional Vice President for the
Americas Region. Mr. Pedersen has extensive experience in the industry having
held a variety of positions with Maersk Line, a container shipping line (from
1978 to 1984), XTRA, a container lessor (1985 to 1988) and Klinge Cool, a
manufacturer of refrigerated container cooling units (1989 to 1991), where he
was worldwide sales and marketing director. Mr. Pedersen is a graduate of the
A.P. Moller shipping and transportation program and Merkonom Business School in
Copenhagen, majoring in Company Organization.

Anthony C. Sowry is Vice President - Operations and Acquisitions for
TEM. Mr. Sowry supervises all international container operations and maintenance
and technical functions for the fleets under management. In addition, he is
responsible for the acquisition of all new and used containers for the Textainer
Group. He began his affiliation with TEM in 1988 and previously served as Fleet
Quality Control Manager for Textainer Inc. from 1982 through March 1988. He is
also a member of the Credit Committee and the Equipment Investment Committee
(see "Committees", below). From 1980 to 1982, he was operations manager for
Trans Container Services in London; and from 1978 to 1982, he was a technical
representative for Trans Ocean Leasing, also in London. He received his B.A.
degree in business management from the London School of Business. Mr. Sowry is a
member of the Technical Committee of the International Institute of Container
Lessors and a certified container inspector.

Jens W. Palludan is based in New York and is Vice President - Americas
/Africa/Australia for TEM, responsible for coordinating all leasing activities
in North and South America, Africa and Australia/New Zealand. Mr. Palludan
spent his career from 1969 through 1992 with Maersk Line of Copenhagen,
Denmark in a variety of key management positions in both Denmark and overseas.
Prior to joining TEM in 1993 Mr. Palludan was General Manager, Equipment and
Terminals, where he was responsible for a fleet of over 200,000 TEUs. Mr.
Palludan holds an M.B.A. from the Centre European D'Education Permanente,
Fontainebleau, France.

Robert S.A. Goodall is based in London and is Vice President - Europe
/Middle East/India for TEM, in which capacity he is responsible for coordinating
all leasing activities in these three areas of operation. Mr. Goodall joined
TEM in September 1994. Previously, Mr. Goodall spent his career from July
1990 until August 1994 with Tiphook Container Rental, during which time he
held numerous senior marketing positions within the company. He was responsible
for setting up their green field operation in North America, which he
successfully ran from inception for three years. Mr. Goodall also
spearheaded a quality program within the company which received ISO
accreditation for the Tank Container operation and associated business areas.
Mr.Goodall has spent nearly sixteen years in the container leasing and transport
industry. Mr. Goodall graduated from Bloxham College, Oxfordshire and Business
Studies at West London College.

Wing Sing Mak is based in Singapore and is the Regional Vice President
- - South Asia. Mr. Mak is responsible for container leasing activities in
North/Central People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong and South China (PRC),
and Southeast Asia. Mr. Mak most recently was the Regional Manager, Southeast
Asia, for Trans Ocean Leasing, working there from 1994 to 1996. From 1987 to
1994, Mr. Mak worked with Tiphook as their Regional General Manager, and with
OOCL from 1976 to 1987 in a variety of positions, most recently as their
Logistics Operations Manager.

Masanori Sagara is the Regional Vice President - North Asia of TEM.
Mr. Sagara is responsible for Textainer's marketing activities in Japan, Korea,
and Taiwan. Mr. Sagara joined Textainer in 1990 and was the company's Marketing
Director in Japan through 1996. From 1987 to 1990, he was the Marketing Manager
with IEA. Mr. Sagara's other experience in the container leasing business
includes marketing management at Genstar from 1984 to 1987 and various container
operations positions with Thoresen & Company from 1979 to 1984. Mr. Sagara
holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Aoyama Bakuin University.

Stefan Mackula is Vice President - Equipment Resale for TEM, in which
capacity he coordinates the worldwide sale of equipment into secondary markets.
Mr. Mackula also served as Vice President Marketing for TEM, in which capacity
he was responsible for coordinating all leasing activities in Europe, Africa,
and the Middle East. He joined TEM in 1983 as Leasing Manager for the United
Kingdom. Prior to joining TEM, Mr. Mackula held, beginning in 1972, a variety of
positions in the international container shipping industry.

Ernest J. Furtado is Vice President, Finance and Assistant Secretary
of TGH, TEM and TL, in which capacity he is responsible for all accounting,
financial management, and reporting functions for TGH, TEM and TL. Prior to
joining Textainer in May 1991, Mr. Furtado was Controller for Itel Instant Space
and manager of accounting for Itel Containers International Corporation, both in
San Francisco, from 1984 to 1991. Mr. Furtado's earlier business affiliations
include serving as audit manager for Wells Fargo Bank and as senior accountant
with John F. Forbes & Co., both in San Francisco. He is a Certified Public
Accountant and holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of
California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. in information systems from Golden Gate
University.

Richard G. Murphy is Vice President, Risk Management for TEM. Mr.
Murphy is responsible for all credit and risk management functions for TEM and
supervises the administrative aspects of equipment acquisitions. He is a member
of and acts as secretary to the Credit and Equipment Investment Committees (see
"Committees", below). He previously served as Director of Credit and Risk
Management from 1989 to 1991 and as Controller from 1988 to 1989. Prior to the
takeover of the management of the Interocean Leasing Ltd. fleet by TEM in 1988,
Mr. Murphy held various positions in the accounting and financial areas with
that company from 1980, acting as Chief Financial Officer from 1984 to 1988.
Prior to 1980, he held various positions with firms of public accountants in the
U.K. Mr. Murphy is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in
England and Wales and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the National
University of Ireland.

Janet S. Ruggero is Vice President, Administration and Marketing
Services for TEM. Ms. Ruggero is responsible for the tracking and billing of
fleets under TEM management, including direct responsibility for ensuring that
all data is input in an accurate and timely fashion. She assists the marketing
and operations departments by providing statistical reports and analyses and
serves on the Credit Committee (see "Committees", below). Prior to joining
Textainer in 1986, Ms. Ruggero held various positions with Gelco CTI over the
course of 15 years, the last one as Director of Marketing and Administration for
the North American Regional office in New York City. She has a B.A. in education
from Cumberland College.

Dr. Adnan Z. Abou Ayyash is a director of TGH and TL. Since 1974 he
has been General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of one of the largest
firms of consulting engineers in Saudi Arabia, Rashid Engineering. Dr. Adnan
Abou Ayyash holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the American
University of Beirut, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering
from the University of Texas.

Sheikh Isam K. Kabbani is a director of TGH and TL. He is Chairman and
principal stockholder of the IKK Group, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a manufacturing
and trading group which is active both in Saudi Arabia and internationally. In
1959 Sheikh Isam Kabbani joined the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
and in 1960 moved to the Ministry of Petroleum for a period of ten years. During
this time he was seconded to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC). After a period as Chief Economist of OPEC, in 1967 he became the Saudi
Arabian member of OPEC's Board of Governors. In 1970 he left the ministry of
Petroleum to establish his own business, the National Marketing Group, which has
been his principal business activity for the past 17 years. Sheikh Kabbani holds
a B.A. degree from Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania, and an M.A. degree in
Economics and International Relations from Columbia University.

S. Arthur Morris is a director of TGH, TEM and TL. He is a founding
partner in the firm of Morris and Kempe, Chartered Accountants (1962-1977) and
currently functions as a correspondent member of a number of international
accounting firms through his firm Arthur Morris and Company (1978 to date). He
is also President and director of Continental Management Limited (1977 to date).
Continental Management Limited is a Bermuda corporation that provides corporate
representation, administration and management services and corporate and
individual trust administration services. Mr. Morris has over 30 years
experience in public accounting and serves on numerous business and charitable
organizations in the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. Mr. Morris
became a director of TL and TGH in 1993, and TEM in 1994.

Dudley R. Cottingham is Assistant Secretary, Vice President and a
director of TGH, TEM and TL. He is a partner with Arthur Morris and Company
(1977 to date) and a Vice President and director of Continental Management
Limited (1978 to date), both in the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Continental Management Limited is a Bermuda corporation that provides corporate
representation, administration and management services and corporate and
individual trust administration services. Mr. Cottingham has over 20 years
experience in public accounting with responsibility for a variety of
international and local clients. Mr. Cottingham became a director of TL and TGH
in 1993, and TEM in 1994.

James S. McCaffrey is Executive Vice President, Chief Operating
Officer, Assistant Secretary and a director of TFS and TCC. In this capacity he
is responsible for all accounting, financial management, and reporting functions
for TFS and TCC. He is a member of and acts as secretary to the Investment
Advisory Committee and serves as a member of the Equipment Investment Committee
(see "Committees" below). Prior to joining Textainer in July 1993, Mr. McCaffrey
was Vice President of Finance for Meridian Point Properties, a real estate
syndication and management company, from 1985 to 1993; from 1983 to 1985 he was
employed by Trans-west Capital as Controller and Chief Financial Officer. Mr.
McCaffrey's earlier business affiliations include serving as manager of
financial reporting for Fox and Carskadon Financial Corporation and as a senior
accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. Mr. McCaffrey is a Certified Public
Accountant and holds a B.S. in business administration and mathematics from
Southern Oregon State College and two securities licenses.

Jeanene K. Gomes is Assistant Secretary of TFS and TCC and Secretary
and Compliance Officer of TSC. Ms. Gomes is responsible for administering the
public partnerships sponsored by the Textainer Group. She is responsible for
ensuring that all data relating to investor accounts is input, monitored, and
stored in a timely manner and in accordance with the limited partnership
agreement for each of the partnerships as well as state and federal securities
regulations. Ms. Gomes oversees all communications with the limited partners and
as such directly supervises all personnel in performing this function. As
compliance officer for TSC, Ms. Gomes is responsible for ensuring compliance
with all securities regulations. Ms. Gomes also serves on the Investment
Advisory Committee (see "Committees" below). Ms. Gomes holds five securities
licenses and was, prior to joining Textainer in 1989, the compliance officer for
CIS Investment Corporation, a broker-dealer.

Committees

The Managing General Partner has established the following three
committees to facilitate decisions involving credit and organizational matters,
negotiations, documentation, management and final disposition of Equipment for
the Partnership and for other programs organized by the Textainer Group:

Equipment Investment Committee. The Equipment Investment Committee
will review the equipment leasing programs of the Partnership on a regular
basis with emphasis on matters involving equipment purchases, the equipment
mix in the Partnership's portfolio, equipment remarketing issues, and decisions
regarding ultimate disposition of equipment. The members of the committee
are James E. Hoelter (Chairman), John A. Maccarone, John R. Rhodes,
Anthony C. Sowry, James McCaffrey, Richard G. Murphy (Secretary), Alex M. Brown
and Neil I. Jowell.

Credit Committee. The Credit Committee will establish credit limits
for every lessee and potential lessee of Equipment and periodically review
these limits. In setting such limits, the Credit Committee will consider such
factors as customer trade routes, country, political risk, operational
history, credit references, credit agency analyses, financial statements,
and other information. The members of the Credit Committee are James E. Hoelter
(Chairman), John A. Maccarone, Richard G. Murphy (Secretary), Janet S. Ruggero,
John R. Rhodes, Anthony C. Sowry and Robert D. Pedersen.

Investment Advisory Committee. The Investment Advisory Committee
will review investor program operations on at least a quarterly basis,
emphasizing matters related to cash distributions to investors, cash flow
management, portfolio management, and liquidation. The Investment Advisory
Committee is organized with a view to applying an interdisciplinary approach,
involving management, financial, legal and marketing expertise, to the analysis
of investor program operations. The members of the Investment Advisory Committee
are James E. Hoelter (Chairman), John A. Maccarone, Cara D. Smith, James S.
McCaffrey (Secretary), John R. Rhodes, Jeanene K. Gomes, Harold J. Samson,
Alex M. Brown and Neil I. Jowell.


ITEM 11 - EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The Registrant has no executive officers and does not reimburse TFS, TEM or TL
for the remuneration payable to their executive officers.


ITEM 12 - SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

a) Security ownership of certain beneficial owners

There is no person or "Group" who is known to the registrant to be the
beneficial owner of more than five percent of the outstanding units of
limited partnership investment of the Registrant.

b) Security Ownership of Management



As of January 1, 1997:
Number
Name of Beneficial Owner Of Units %All Units


James E. Hoelter................................... 2,500 .0405%
John R. Rhodes..................................... 280 .0045%
Anthony C. Sowry................................... 274 .0044%
John A. Maccarone.................................. 2,520 .0409%
Harold J. Samson................................... 2,500 .0405%
--------- ------

Officers and Management
as a Group...................................... 8,074 .1309%
========= ======


c) Changes in control

Inapplicable

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

(a) Transactions with Management and Others.

At December 31, 1996 and 1995, net due to affiliates is comprised of:



1996 1995
---- ----

Due from affiliates:
Due from TEM and TSS ........................... $ 27 119
-- ---


Due to affiliates:
Due to TAS...................................... - 54
Due to TFS...................................... 52 76
Due to TL and TGH............................... 1 10
Due to TCC...................................... 26 16
---- ----
79 156
---- ---

Net due to affiliates $ 52 37
==== ====


These amounts receivable from and payable to affiliates were incurred
in the ordinary course of business between the Partnership and its
affiliates and represent timing differences in the accrual and payment
of expenses and fees described above or in the accrual and remittance
of net rental revenues from TEM and Textainer Storage Services (TSS),
which is a 100% owned subsidiary of TEM.

In addition, the Registrant paid or will pay the following amounts to
the General Partners for the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and
1994, respectively:

Acquisition Fees in connection with the purchase of equipment on behalf
of the Registrant:



1996 1995 1994
---- ---- ----


TAS................................. $ 156 480 294
=== === ===


Management fees in connection with the operations of the Registrant:



1996 1995 1994
---- ---- ----


TFS $ 376 372 343
TEM, CIS, TSS and MSS............... 1,590 1,706 1,700
----- ----- -----
Total $ 1,966 2,078 2,043
===== ===== =====


Reimbursement for administrative costs in respect of the operations of
the Registrant:



1996 1995 1994
---- ---- ----


TFS $ 150 226 224
TEM, CIS, TSS and MSS............... 1,011 1,326 1,434
----- ----- -----
Total $ 1,161 1,552 1,658
===== ===== =====


(b) Certain Business Relationships.

Inapplicable.

(c) Indebtedness of Management

Inapplicable.

(d) Transactions with Promoters

Inapplicable.

See the "Management" and "Compensation of Affiliates" sections of the
Registrant's Prospectus, as supplemented, and the notes to the Financial
Statements in Item 8.


PART IV


ITEM 14. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES, AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K

(a) 1. Audited financial statements of the Registrant for the year
ended December 31, 1996 are contained in Item 8 of this Report

2. Financial Statement Schedules.

(i) Independent Auditors' Report on Supplementary
Schedule.

(ii) Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts.

3. Exhibits Incorporated by reference.

(i) The Registrant's Prospectus as contained in Pre-
Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement (No. 33-36255), as filed with
the Commission on December 21, 1990 as supplemented
by Post-Effective Amendments No. 1, 2 and 3 filed
with the Commission under Section 8 (c) of the
Securities Act of 1933 on March 1, 1991, January
13, 1992 and February 4, 1992, respectively.

(ii) The Registrant's limited partnership agreement,
Exhibit A to the Prospectus.

(b) During the year ended 1996, no reports on Form 8-K have been filed by
the Registrant.

















Independent Auditors' Report on Supplementary Schedule







The Partners
Textainer Equipment Income Fund III, L.P.:

Under the date of February 17, 1997, we reported on the balance sheets of
Textainer Equipment Income Fund III, L.P. (the Partnership) as of December 31,
1996 and 1995 and the related statements of earnings, partners' capital and cash
flows for the year ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994, which are included in
the 1996 annual report on Form 10-K. In connection with our audits of the
aforementioned financial statements, we also audited the related financial
statement schedule as listed in Item 14. This financial statement schedule is
the responsibility of the Partnership's management. Our responsibility is to
express an opinion on this financial statement schedule based on our audits.

In our opinion, such schedule, when considered in relation to the basic
financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material
respects, the information set forth therein.



KPMG Peat Marwick LLP




San Francisco, California
February 17, 1997







TCC EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III, L.P.
(a California limited partnership)

Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
(Dollar amounts in thousands)

Charged Balance
Balance at to Costs Charged at End
Beginning and to Other of
of Period Expenses Accounts Deduction Period



For the year ended December 31, 1996:

Allowance for
doubtful accounts $ 1,516 254 - (154) 1,616
----- --- ---- ----- -----

Damage protection
plan reserve $ 373 411 - (362) 422
------ --- ---- ----- -----

Warranty settlement $ 306 (39) - - 267
------- --- ---- ----- ------


For the year ended December 31, 1995

Allowance for
doubtful accounts $ 1,466 554 - (504) 1,516
----- --- ---- ----- -----

Damage protection
plan reserve $ 369 282 - (278) 373
------ --- ---- ----- ---

Warranty settlement $ 10 (2) 298 - 306
------- --- ---- ----- ---


For the year ended December 31, 1994:

Allowance for doubtful accounts $ 535 1,083 - (152) 1,466
--- ----- ---- ----- -----

Damage protection plan reserve $ 310 483 - (424) 369
------ ---- ---- ----- ----

Warranty settlement $ 12 (2) - - 10
------ ----- ---- ------ -----

Reserve for trailer
maintenance and repairs $ 791 458 - (1,249) -
----- ----- ---- ------- -----









SIGNATURES


Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III, L.P.
A California Limited Partnership

By Textainer Financial Services Corporation
The Managing General Partner

By /s/John R. Rhodes
John R. Rhodes
Executive Vice President

Date: March 26, 1997

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report
has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of Textainer Financial
Services Corporation, the Managing General Partner of the Registrant, in the
capacities and on the dates indicated:



Signature Title Date



/s/John R. Rhodes Executive Vice President March 26, 1997
- ---------------------------------------------
John R. Rhodes (Principal Financial and
Accounting Officer), and
Secretary

/s/James E. Hoelter President(Principal Executive March 26, 1997
- ---------------------------------------------
James E. Hoelter Officer) and Director


/s/James S. McCaffrey Executive Vice President, March 26, 1997
- ------------------------------------------
James S. McCaffrey Chief Operating Officer and Director


/s/ John A. Maccarone Director March 26, 1997
- -------------------------------------------
John A. Maccarone


/s/Cara D. Smith Director March 26, 1997
- -------------------------------------------
Cara Smith





SIGNATURES


Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

TEXTAINER EQUIPMENT INCOME FUND III, L.P.
A California Limited Partnership

By Textainer Financial Services Corporation
The Managing General Partner

By
John R. Rhodes
Executive Vice President

Date: March 26, 1997

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report
has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of Textainer Financial
Services Corporation, the Managing General Partner of the Registrant, in the
capacities and on the dates indicated:



Signature Title Date




Executive Vice President March 26, 1997
John R. Rhodes (Principal Financial and
Accounting Officer),and
Secretary


President(Principal Executive March 26, 1997
James E. Hoelter Officer) and Director


Executive Vice President, Chief March 26, 1997
James S. McCaffrey Operating Officer and Director



John Maccarone Director March 26, 1997


Cara D. Smith Director March 26, 1997