In June, 54.4 percent of ships reached ports on time, a slight decrease from 55.6 percent in May. However, the year-on-year decline is much more pronounced. In mid-2023, over 64% of container ship deliveries arrived on time.
Reviewing the past five years, only during the peak of the pandemic were on-time arrivals worse. For comparison, before the pandemic in 2019, the on-time rate was around 85% for this time of year. Conversely, during the pandemic boom in 2021-22, it was only about 40%.
The average delay in sea transport has also increased. In June this year, the average delay was 5.19 days, compared to 5.15 days in May. By mid-2023, ships arrived on average approximately 4.37 days late. This year’s delays are worse than before the pandemic but better than during the peak of maritime transport services in 2021-22.
In 2019, the average ship delay was approximately 4 days. However, in June 2021 and 2022, it exceeded 6 days, with peak months seeing delays of up to 9 days on average.
These year-on-year delays are undoubtedly a result of the crisis in the Red Sea. Since the outbreak of the conflict in the Gaza Strip in October last year, Houthi fighters from Yemen have been targeting ships heading to Israel or those belonging to Israeli entities. As a result, most global shipowners have stopped sailing near Yemen. Since Yemen is a direct route to the Red Sea and subsequently to the Suez Canal, this means that most of the transport that would typically pass through the Suez Canal now sails around Africa, extending the route by about 10 days.
Sea Intelligence also conducted a survey of the most punctual shipowners. The German company Hapag-Lloyd is in the lead with a punctuality rate of 55.4%. Close behind are CMA CGM, Maersk, and Evergreen.
Interestingly, while CMA CGM and Maersk recorded significant drops in punctuality (with results of approximately 65% and 69%, respectively, a year ago), Hapag-Lloyd managed to maintain a relatively stable level, only slightly decreasing from approximately 58%.
Of the 13 shipowners surveyed, 9 have a punctuality rate of over 50%. The Sea Intelligence study covers over 60 shipowners and 34 sea routes.
Photo: Hummelhummel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons