Feature, Freight News, Logistics, Sea

Global Container Reliability Falls to 27%, Xeneta

[ October 16, 2026   //   Gary Burrows ]

Global container shipping schedule reliability declined for a fourth consecutive month in September, falling 2 percentage points to 27 percent, according to Xeneta.

Average vessel delays increased to six days, up 2.4 days since the beginning of the second quarter. Xeneta attributed much of the deterioration to the lingering effects of typhoons and congestion across Asian trades.

Reliability between the Far East and Europe fell to 4 percent, its lowest level since September 2021. Vessels on the trade arrived an average of 9.9 days late.

Far East-to-North America reliability remained at 20 percent, but the average delay increased by 0.8 day to 6.9 days.

The deterioration coincided with higher freight costs. Xeneta’s China-to-U.S. West Coast spot-market average reached US$7,717 per FEU in early October, more than four times its September 2025 level. Long-term contract rates averaged US$3,649 per FEU on Oct. 1, an increase of 26 percent from the previous month.

“Buffer days in contracts and inventory plans are being consumed at an alarming rate,” Xeneta said.

Every major carrier recorded its highest average delay of the past 12 months during September. Maersk led the carriers with 47 percent on-time performance, while Yang Ming recorded 4 percent.

Reliability within the Gemini Cooperation network operated by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd fell from 70 percent in June to 40 percent in September. Preliminary data placed its on-time performance at 28 percent during the week of Oct. 5.

Port congestion also spread from China into Southeast Asian transshipment networks. Singapore’s average daily vessel queue increased from 12 to 22 ships, while average waiting time rose from 1.9 to 3.1 days.

Xeneta said carriers had announced cancellations representing at least 17 percent of planned Far East-Europe capacity and 13 percent of Far East-North America capacity during October.

The analyst advised shippers preparing 2027 tenders to evaluate reliability at the individual service and port-pair level rather than relying solely on carrier-wide averages.

Tags: Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, Xeneta