Container shipping reliability improved in March 2026, with global schedule performance reaching its joint-highest level of the year, signalling a gradual stabilisation across major trade lanes despite ongoing delays.
According to Sea-Intelligence’s latest Global Liner Performance report, schedule reliability rose by 3.9 percentage points month-on-month to 62.2%, marking a notable recovery and a 5.2 percentage point increase year-on-year. This improvement reflects a gradual easing of disruptions that have impacted global supply chains in recent years.
At the same time, average delays for late vessel arrivals edged down slightly to 5.48 days, improving marginally from February. However, delays remain higher compared to the same period last year, indicating that operational challenges persist beneath the surface.
Among the top carriers, Hapag-Lloyd led with 72.3% reliability, followed closely by Maersk at 70.8%. Most major carriers posted gains, with 11 out of 13 recording year-on-year improvements. Alliance performance also remained mixed, with Gemini Cooperation leading overall reliability metrics.
While progress is evident, the data suggests that container shipping reliability is still in a recovery phase, with incremental gains pointing toward a more stable—but not yet fully normalised—global shipping environment.
Source: Sea-Intelligence
