Rising Reliability in Container Shipping

Schedule reliability in the global container shipping industry reached its highest level of 2026, providing a positive signal for supply chains. According to the Global Liner Performance (GLP) report published by Sea-Intelligence, global schedule reliability increased to 62.4% in April 2026.

This figure marks the highest level recorded since the beginning of the year and reflects a gradual improvement in operational performance across ocean carriers.

Continued Improvement in Schedule Reliability

According to April 2026 data:

• Global schedule reliability reached 62.4%
• This represents a 0.4 percentage point increase compared to the previous month
• Compared to April 2025, reliability improved by 4 percentage points

These developments indicate that operational stability is strengthening following recent geopolitical disruptions and post-pandemic challenges.

At the same time, delays also showed slight improvement:

• Average delay decreased to 5.34 days
• A 0.27-day reduction was recorded month-on-month

However, despite this progress, delays remain slightly higher than in the same period last year, suggesting that full operational stability has not yet been achieved.

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd Maintain Leadership

Among the world’s leading container carriers, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd continued to stand out as the most reliable operators:

• Maersk: 76.1% schedule reliability
• Hapag-Lloyd: 75.1% schedule reliability

Overall performance distribution shows:

• 5 carriers achieved reliability between 60%–70%
• 5 carriers recorded performance between 50%–60%

At the lower end:

• Wan Hai Lines reported the lowest reliability at 39.6%

These figures highlight ongoing performance disparities among carriers.

Gemini Cooperation Remains the Most Reliable Alliance

Among carrier alliances, Gemini Cooperation maintained its leading position in schedule reliability.

For the March–April 2026 period:

• All Arrivals methodology: 85.0%
• Trade Arrivals methodology: 85.6%

Other alliances reported:

• MSC: approximately 72%–73%
• Ocean Alliance: 67.6%
• Premier Alliance: 54.2%

These results underline the strong operational performance of newer alliance structures in the market.

Dual Measurement Methodologies in Use

Sea-Intelligence continues to apply two different methodologies to measure alliance performance:

• All Arrivals: includes all port calls within a service rotation
• Trade Arrivals: measures only arrivals within the destination trade region

This dual approach:

• ensures more accurate evaluation of new alliance structures
• maintains comparability with historical performance data

Implications for Logistics and Supply Chains

April 2026 data provides important signals for global supply chains:

• Transport planning is becoming more predictable
• Delay risks are gradually decreasing
• Performance gaps between carriers still exist

For shippers, importers, exporters, and freight forwarders, this translates into: more reliable transit times, more stable operational planning, better optimization of logistics costs

The rise in schedule reliability to its highest level of 2026 indicates that the global container shipping industry continues its operational recovery.

While Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd lead among individual carriers and Gemini Cooperation dominates alliance performance, the industry overall shows signs of stabilizing despite ongoing geopolitical and operational challenges.

These improvements suggest that global logistics processes may continue to become more balanced and predictable in the coming months.

Source: Phaata