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Container line reliability to take 8 – 9 months to recover

An improvement container line schedule reliability is a key element in reducing supply chain disruption, however, recovery would take at least 8 – 9 months and is yet to start.

Marcus Hand, Editor

February 10, 2022

1 Min Read
Evergreen containers on a vessel
Photo: Marcus Hand

Overall container line schedule reliability dropped to 35.8% in 2021, according to analysts Sea-Intelligence. however, the picture was considerably worse on the main east-west trades, with niche trades bolstering the overall reliability percentage.

In attempt to see how long it would take schedule reliability to return to normal Sea-Intel drew a comparison with the labour dispute at US West Coast ports in early 2015 which led to severe disruption.

Container line schedule reliability on the Asia – North America West Coast trade in February 2015 stood at 12.6%, only very slightly above the 10.1% seen today. The labour dispute in 2015 was resolved on 20 February that year and it took eight – nine months to return to its baseline number.

However, vessel delays are considerably worse now at an average 15.07 days compared to 11.88 days in February 2015.

“Compared to a pre-pandemic baseline of 2017-2019, the excess delay in December 2021 versus the pre-pandemic baseline was 11.54 days, versus 8.73 days in February 2015 compared to the pre-labour dispute baseline. As the 2015 problem was resolved in 6-7 months, this means an average reduction in excess delay of 1.25-1.46 days per month,” said Alan Murphy CEO of Sea-Intel.

“If the current port and hinterland system manages the same speed of recovery this time, the delays also suggest that resolution would take 8-9 months,” he added.

Related:Container line schedule reliability plunges to 35.8% in 2021

The bad news is though there is no sign that the industry has started on this path of recovery as yet.

About the Author

Marcus Hand

Editor

Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia.

Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation.

In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology.

Marcus is the founder of the Seatrade Maritime Podcast that delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics.

Conferences & Webinars

Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

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