Global container schedule reliability climbed to its strongest performance of the year in April 2026, rising to 62.4%, according to the latest Global Liner Performance report from Sea‑Intelligence.

The figure marks a 0.4‑percentage‑point improvement month‑on‑month and a 4‑percentage‑point gain year‑on‑year, underscoring a steady recovery in service consistency despite ongoing disruptions across major trade lanes.

Sea‑Intelligence CEO Alan Murphy said the April result reflects "a continued, if gradual, stabilisation in global operations," noting that reliability has now reached its highest point of 2026. 

"While the improvement is modest, it is still a positive sign in a market that has been under persistent pressure," he said.

Alongside better reliability, the average delay for late vessel arrivals also improved, falling by 0.27 days month‑on‑month to 5.34 days. However, delays remain slightly elevated compared with last year, with April’s figure 0.31 days higher year‑on‑year.

Carrier performance

For April, Maersk once again led the industry's top performers, posting 76.1% schedule reliability in April. Hapag‑Lloyd followed closely at 75.1%. Five carriers landed in the 60–70% range, another five in the 50–60% bracket, while Wan Hai recorded the lowest reliability among the top 13 carriers at 39.6%.

Five carriers improved month‑on‑month, while 11 of the 13 posted year‑on‑year gains — a sign, Murphy said, that "the broader trend is still moving in the right direction, even if progress remains uneven across operators."

In the March/April period, the newly formed Gemini Cooperation delivered the strongest performance, achieving 85.0% schedule reliability across all arrivals and 85.6% across trade arrivals.

MSC followed with 73.4% for all arrivals and 72.3% for trade arrivals. Premier Alliance trailed at 54.2% on both measures.

Among the legacy alliances, Ocean Alliance posted 67.6% schedule reliability.

Murphy noted that Sea‑Intelligence continues to publish two sets of metrics — "all arrivals" and "trade arrivals" — to ensure comparability between the new alliance structures and the traditional destination‑based methodology. 

"This dual approach allows us to maintain continuity in the data while also reflecting the operational realities of the new alliances," he said.

With April marking the strongest reliability reading of the year so far, Murphy said the industry is showing resilience but cautioned that volatility remains. 

"We're seeing improvement, but the market is still highly sensitive to disruptions," he said.

"Sustaining these gains will depend on how carriers manage ongoing operational challenges in the months ahead."