Report: Global liner on-time performance nears four-year high

Denmark-based consultancy SeaIntel’s measurement of scheduled ocean carrier arrivals found 85 percent of ships arrive on-time, though delays are still more common in the major east-west trade lanes.    Global liner shipping on-time performance reached a near four-year high in November, according to the maritime analyst SeaIntel.
   The Denmark-based consultancy said the on-time performance of vessels globally was 85.3 percent in November, a 9.7 percent increase year-over-year, and the second highest level since SeaIntel began measuring schedule reliability in July 2011.
   SeaIntel also said the average delay for late vessels improved from 3.38 days in October to 3.32 days in November, a vast improvement from the 4.29-day average delay in November 2014.
   Wan Hai was the best performing carrier in November, with 91.1 percent of calls on time, with MOL, Evergreen Line, “K” Line and Hanjin Shipping rounding out the top five. Evergreen, “K” Line and Hanjin are part of the CKYHE Alliance.
   Mediterranean Shipping Co., Hyundai Merchant Marine, and Zim recorded the three lowest on-time arrival percentages in November, though the band between the best and worst was less than 10 percent, with MSC at 82 percent.
   However, schedule reliability on the main east-west lanes lags behind that on more minor lanes, with the Asia-U.S. West Coast lane the best performing of the major lanes, at 82 percent. That aggregate on-time performance is light years better than that seen a year ago, when congestion was plaguing U.S. West Coast ports.
   SeaIntel’s schedule performance measurement was based on 11,939 vessel arrivals during November.