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Container shipping reliability improved on some of the world’s major trade routes during the second quarter, but punctuality remains poor on eight of the world’s regional liner trades. Data from Xeneta’s Quarterly Reliability Report, released in late July, shows uneven progress, with some carriers relying on schedule padding rather than operational improvements.
Both the East Coast South America and Far East to Europe trades saw double-digit improvements in reliability, rising 17% and 13% respectively. The Middle East trades also improved 5%, though that only brought punctuality to 25%. On the other hand, Oceania and Africa saw marked declines, while the Middle East recorded average delays of 4.9 days.
On the three major east-west trades, both the Far East to US and transatlantic routes saw reliability rise to 42% and 41% with delays down to 2.2 days in both lanes. Xeneta notes that the transpacific recovery is the most credible of the three major routes, as blank sailings on Far East–North America fell from 17% to 10% of planned teu year-on-year in Q2.
Reliability gains were not just driven by cutting sailings. The report claims carriers improved schedules and operations rather than just reducing their load, noting that these gains do not give ground easily under sustained pressure. However, the report also points out that Pacific carriers used proforma padding, adding days to schedules to limit late arrivals, which played a bigger role in managing schedule recovery than blanked sailings.
On the Atlantic, carriers have been cutting the amount of blanked capacity every month since April. Services out of Northern Europe, which see market share dominated by Gemini and MSC, closed June with just 2% of planned teu blanked, the lowest of any east-west corridor since July 2024.
While both the Atlantic and Pacific trade lanes have seen capacity cuts significantly reduced and reliability improved, the Far East–Europe route is an outlier. The report notes that its recovery leans more on what carriers cut than on how well they operate. In the first quarter, Far East to Europe services fell to 25% reliability, recovering in Q2 to 38% with an average of 2.9 days delay.
Far East–Europe is the outlier: carriers cut 22% of planned teu in March alone with the impact of the Middle East conflict combining with seasonal Chinese New Year capacity withdrawal. Improvements are being seen, however, with June seeing a blanked teu down to 8%, below the 9% seen in June 2025, and the first clear year-on-year improvement in Q2. Far East to Europe on time percentages (OTP) were helped by fewer Arabian Gulf calls and a reduction in port disruptions.
South America West Coast (SAWC) and South America East Coast (SAEC) were the best performers, reaching 52% and 59% OTP, with SAEC improving by 17%. Both trades saw average delay days fall to 1.8.
Related: Mojave Desert plant recycles massive steel scrap haul
Carriers can improve both metrics by padding schedules or introducing blanked voyages without changing operations. This practice allows them to artificially boost on-time percentages, a concern highlighted by the report.
Despite the overall data, the reality for shippers and logistics managers remains complex. When carriers reduce sailings or pad schedules to meet published times, the impact is often felt most acutely at the origin ports, where available capacity shrinks while the frequency of calls does not always return to pre-disruption levels. This creates a different kind of uncertainty for cargo planning that isn’t always captured in the headline reliability figures.
Shippers face distinct challenges on routes involving China. The outlet reported that trade imbalances in the region affect logistics stability, a factor that complicates the reliability data presented above. [1]Trade imbalances can influence the frequency of blank sailings and the overall stability of service.
Another specific issue affecting logistics involves material recovery. In the Mojave Desert, a plant handles a massive steel scrap haul, utilizing heavy equipment to process materials that might otherwise become stranded in port facilities.
North American transit times are stabilizing. Far East to North America blank sailings dropped to 10% of planned teu in Q2, marking a significant reduction from the 17% seen in the previous year. This reduction helps stabilize the transpacific lane.
Transatlantic performance also remains steady. Northern Europe blank sailings fell to 2% of planned teu, the lowest level since July 2024, reflecting improved management of that east-west corridor.
Transpacific reliability reached 42% with delays down to 2.2 days. Transatlantic reliability reached 41% with delays down to 2.2 days. Far East to Europe reliability reached 38% with an average of 2.9 days delay. East Coast South America reliability reached 59%.
