Global Container Schedule Reliability Falls to 29% in August as Far East–Europe Lane Drops to 6%

Global container shipping schedule reliability fell for a third straight month in August, with only 29% of vessels arriving on time, down 4 percentage points from July's 33%, according to analyst Xeneta. Average delays rose to 5.1 days from 4.2 days, pushing performance near pandemic-era lows. The Far East–Europe trade was hardest hit, with on-time performance falling 10 percentage points to 6% and average delays reaching 8.2 days — levels unseen since late 2021. Xeneta cited Red Sea diversions, North European port congestion and four consecutive typhoons in China, which left 1.1 million TEUs held at anchorages across Ningbo, Shanghai and Yantian. Africa reliability dropped 15 points to 21%, and South America East Coast fell 12 points to 34%. Ten of the 12 largest carriers posted lower reliability; Maersk remained the top performer at 51%, while CMA CGM fell to 33% and Cosco to 22%. Xeneta warned weak reliability and China's Mid-Autumn Festival and Golden Week holidays could tighten fourth-quarter capacity and lift freight rates.