Sea-Intelligence (Aug 26th, 2026) – July Global Schedule Reliability Drops to Lowest 2026 Level

Sea-Intelligence has published issue 180 of the Global Liner Performance (GLP) report, with schedule reliability figures up to and including July 2026. As the 120-page report is quite comprehensive and covers schedule reliability across 34 different trade lanes and 60+ carriers, this press release will only cover highlights from the full report.

There was a sharp ‑6.1 percentage point drop M/M in schedule reliability in July 2026 to 56.4%. This is the lowest schedule reliability has been in 2026 and the lowest since February 2025. On a Y/Y level, schedule reliability was lower by ‑8.8 percentage points. The average delay for LATE vessel arrivals also deteriorated, increasing M/M by 0.59 days to 6.06 days. This is the highest level reached in 2026, and the highest since January 2024. On a Y/Y level, the July 2026 figure was 1.34 days higher.

Maersk was the most reliable top-13 carrier in July 2026 with schedule reliability of 73.7%, followed by Hapag-Lloyd with 69.3%. Maersk was the only carrier with schedule reliability over 70%, and Hapag-Lloyd was the only carrier in the 60-70% range. Five of the remaining carriers were in the 50-60% range. Wan Hai was the least reliable carrier in July 2026 with schedule reliability of 29.8%. No carrier recorded a M/M improvement in schedule reliability in July 2026, with MSC recording the largest M/M decline of ‑11.9 percentage points. On a Y/Y level, none of the 13 carriers recorded an improvement in schedule reliability in July 2026, with Wan Hai recording the largest Y/Y decline of ‑24.4 percentage points.

In June/July 2026 Gemini was the most reliable carrier alliance with schedule reliability of 89.5%, followed by MSC with 76.8%, and Ocean Alliance with 59.9%. Premier Alliance was the least reliable carrier alliance with 47.0%.

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All quotes can be attributed to: Alan Murphy, CEO, Sea-Intelligence.