Global container shipping is entering a phase where poor schedule reliability and operational unpredictability have become systemic rather than exceptional, according to recent maritime intelligence data. The sector, long struggling with service variability since the pandemic, has seen 2025 characterised by a new baseline of inconsistency in vessel arrivals and departures that is now shaping logistics planning worldwide.
Data indicates that carriers’ on‑time performance has remained well below historical norms, with schedule reliability figures still recording significant delays across major liner services. Even as some carriers and alliances attempt improvements, the broader trend suggests that delays, missed port calls and rerouted sailings have become embedded in the operating model for many trades.
This “new normal” of unreliability is attributed to several interlinked factors: persistent port congestion, imbalanced supply and demand, and an oversupplied fleet chasing uneven cargo volumes. Despite occasional month‑to‑month variations, average schedule performance remains far below the more predictable pre‑pandemic environment, reinforcing the idea that logistics planners can no longer assume stable transit times.
For shippers and supply chain managers, the operational consequences are real. Unpredictable vessel schedules can drive up buffer inventory levels, increase warehousing costs, and force contingency planning that erodes efficiency and responsiveness. These dynamics are forcing many companies to rethink routing, inventory buffers and multimodal options to safeguard reliability in a less predictable ocean freight market.
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