{"id":91407,"date":"2026-02-16T19:15:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T22:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/892879934"},"modified":"2026-02-16T19:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T22:15:08","slug":"container-shipping-scheduling-collapses-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/container-shipping-scheduling-collapses-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Container shipping scheduling collapses in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

On time cargo arrivals collapsed to just 6.7% in the period between February and April 2025, with 63.9% of shipments delayed by more than three days, according to data released by online monitoring platform Beacon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using data from its <\/span>AI<\/a><\/span> enhanced automated systems Beacon tracked and analysed 27,613 ocean freight shipments across 2024 and 2025, monitoring port-to-port arrival times of vessels, with on-time being defined as an arrival within 12 hours of the proforma schedule time, while arrivals of three or more days late are considered very late.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beacon\u2019s data reveals a maritime network that is \u201cunder sustained and intensifying pressure,\u201d exacerbated by an increase in cancelled sailings, which for Beacon\u2019s purposes are considered delays in deliveries.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a shipper’s perspective, it doesn’t matter why the container is late, only that it didn’t arrive when the carrier said it would,\u201d explained Fraser Robinson, CEO at Beacon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related:<\/span>Hapag-Lloyd acquires Zim<\/a><\/p>\n

Beacon\u2019s data shows a sharp deterioration in reliability, with on time deliveries falling from 36% in 2024 to 13.9% last year. <\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, the proportion of shipments arriving very late rose from 18.1% to 47.4% year-on-year \u201cunderscoring the growing challenge faced by global supply chains\u201d, said Beacon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Suez diversions and Trump’s tariffs<\/h3>\n

The <\/span>Suez<\/a><\/span> diversions are one reason for the dramatic decline in reliability, but the timing of the collapse, February to April, also coincides with the major uncertainties experienced when the Trump administration introduced and then paused tariffs on a wide range of countries.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhether these factors persist into 2026 depends on geopolitical stability and infrastructure investment,\u201d explained Robinson, who added that the Red Sea diversions are continuing while port capacity is the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we can say is that supply chain planners using 2024 reliability assumptions for 2026 planning are likely setting themselves up for the same problems we saw in 2025,\u201d claimed Robinson.<\/span><\/p>\n

These challenges are affecting shippers who operate just-in-time supply chains who have responded in a number of ways, according to Robinson. <\/span><\/p>\n

Safety stock and longer lead times<\/h3>\n

In the first instance shippers have increased their \u201csafety stock\u201d, as a buffer against unreliable ship arrivals, \u201cThese ties up working capital but provides insurance against delays,\u201d said Robinson.<\/span><\/p>\n

Planning with longer lead times is an additional buffer to expected arrival times, that will reduce flexibility, but it can improve reliability to end customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The most strategic move, however, argues Robinson, \u201cIs that shippers are investing in better visibility infrastructure so they can spot delays earlier and have more time to respond.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Related:<\/span>Hapag-Lloyd in \u2018advanced negotiations\u2019 to acquire Zim<\/a><\/p>\n

Earlier knowledge of delays allows more time for mitigation options to be implemented before the situation becomes a crisis that requires, expensive, emergency air freight.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNone of these are ideal solutions. They all have costs. But when you can’t rely on carriers delivering on schedule, you have to build resilience somewhere else in the system,\u201d commented Robinson.<\/span><\/p>\n

With 47% of shipments arriving more than three days late companies are forced to adapt by building in buffers and emergency responses, \u201cThe system works, but it’s more expensive and less efficient than it would be with better reliability,\u201d said Robinson.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beacon is now analysing data to see if the 2025 reliability becomes the standard or \u201cwhether competitive pressure pushes carriers and infrastructure providers to invest in improving schedule integrity\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lack of choice<\/h3>\n

Robinson points out: \u201cRight now, shippers don’t have much choice. Carrier options are limited and alternatives aren’t meaningfully better.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Beacon believes that in 2025 there were \u201cfewer unique routes,\u201d as freight was concentrated into high-volume trade lanes, if this trend continues then schedule reliability will continue to be a challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related:<\/span>CMA CGM and Midea sign intelligent logistics MoU<\/a><\/p>\n

The first quarter of this year is critical, if reliability returns to 2024 levels, then the probability is that 2025 issues were an anomaly, however, \u201cIf Q1 2026 mirrors Q1 2025 (12.5% on time), that’s a strong signal this is the new normal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shippers and supply chain managers currently lack the independent data that will help them understand carrier and forwarder performance in real time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWithout systematic tracking across their entire shipment portfolio, supply chain teams cannot identify reliability patterns, benchmark providers, or hold carriers accountable for ETA accuracy. Instead, they rely on anecdotal experience and provider-supplied performance metrics,” claimed Robinson.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Beacon\u2019s CEO, the company supplies consolidated data across air and ocean supply chains bring visibility and \u201cactual performance, not just carrier promises\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beacon believes that the type of visibility that it provides offers shippers with concrete evidence to bring to contract negotiations by allowing them to show the disparity between shipping lines\u2019 performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe real power isn’t forcing carriers to improve overnight – it’s removing the information asymmetry. Right now, carriers have complete visibility into their performance and shippers don’t. Independent data evens that playing field, even if it doesn’t immediately change carrier behaviour,\u201d concluded Robinson.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On time cargo<\/span> arrivals collapsed to just 6 … that requires, expensive, emergency air freight<\/span>. \u00e2\u0080\u009cNone of these are ideal … \u00e2\u0080\u009cfewer unique routes,\u00e2\u0080\u009d as freight<\/span> was concentrated into high-volume … to show the disparity between shipping<\/span> lines\u00e2\u0080\u0099 performance. \u00e2\u0080\u009cThe real …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91407\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}