Global maritime transport reliability has decreased for the third consecutive month in August, reaching 29%. This figure has significantly dropped from 37% in June to 33% in July and then to 29% in August, indicating the second lowest scheduling reliability level in the past 12 months.
Increase in Average Delay in Transport
The average delay has also increased simultaneously, rising from 4.2 days to 5.1 days from July to August. This increase, along with the rising frequency of delays, makes achieving recovery more challenging. The last time global scheduling reliability remained at 29% or lower was from July 2024 to January 2025.
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Severe Impacts on the Far East to Europe Route
The Far East to Europe route, one of the busiest maritime transport routes in the world, has been severely affected with a 6% reliability at the time of arrival. This rate has significantly dropped from 16% in August 2021, and the average daily delay has reached 8.2 days. Factors such as the Red Sea crisis, increased transit times from the Cape of Good Hope, and severe weather conditions in winter and summer have exacerbated this situation.
In recent weeks, four consecutive storms in China have led to a halt of 1.1 million TEU at the ports of Ningbo, Shanghai, and Yantian. These impacts will soon affect global trade and transport strategies, leading to increased delays in port arrivals in Europe and North America.
Severe Decline in Shipping Line Performance
In August, the performance of 10 out of 12 top shipping lines declined, with six lines reaching their lowest level in the past 12 months. Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM experienced the most significant declines at 46% and 33%, respectively. In contrast, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have been successful in controlling the severity of delays, each recording an average delay of less than 1 day.
Despite the increase in the number of late ships, choosing the right shipping line for shippers remains the biggest factor for reliability this season.
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