Global container schedule reliability eased to 62.4% in January 2026, slipping 0.4 percentage points month on month even as it remained the strongest monthly reading across 2021–2026, according to Sea‑Intelligence. 

Schedule reliability was 11 percentage points higher than a year earlier, underscoring how far carriers have recovered from the disruptions of 2023–2024.

But the improvement was tempered by worsening delays: the average lateness for late‑arriving vessels rose to 5.17 days, the highest since February 2025, though still 0.21 days better year on year.

Global container schedule reliability also slipped in December to 62.8%.

Carrier performance widens

Hapag‑Lloyd and Maersk were the most reliable among the top 13 carriers, each posting 72.2% schedule reliability.

Seven carriers clustered in the 60–70% range, while four fell between 50–60%. PIL ranked last at 50.1%.

Sea-Intelligence noted that only seven carriers improved month on month, but twelve posted year‑on‑year gains, reflecting broader structural recovery. 

Alliances show sharp divergence

The newly formed Gemini Cooperation continued to outperform peers, recording 89.5% reliability across all arrivals and 88.3% across trade arrivals.

MSC followed at 68.7% for all arrivals and 66.8% for trade arrivals, while Premier Alliance posted 58.8% and 59.4%, respectively.

For legacy alliances, where "all arrivals" and "trade arrivals" remain identical, Ocean Alliance reached 64.0%.

Sea-Intelligence noted that alliance comparisons now use two parallel metrics — all arrivals and trade-only arrivals — because the new alliances' structures no longer align cleanly with the traditional destination-region methodology.

"As the new alliances reshape service patterns, we've introduced a dual‑measure approach to ensure comparability," said Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea‑Intelligence.