The latest measure of container service reliability by Drewry’s Schedule Reliability Insight showed a steady improvement, with the percentage of ships arriving on time at selected ports rising to 56% in the second quarter of 2011, up from 51% in the first quarter. The overall figure for 2Q11 also compares well with the on-time reliability score of 52% in the same period of 2010.
Despite continued freight rate erosion, shippers are getting better service in the East-West routes with reliability rising most in the Asia/Europe/Med, which increased by 13 percentage points against the previous period to 62% in 2Q11.
Maersk Line regained its customary position as the most reliable of the Top 20 carriers (by vessel fleet size) across all the trades covered by Drewry. The Danish line was closely followed by APL and CSAV.
For the first time, Schedule Reliability Insight contains rankings of carriers within the three major East-West trades. Maersk took the plaudits for the Asia/Europe/Med trade, while APL and Hamburg Süd came out on top in the transpacific and transatlantic respectively.
“The improved reliability scores achieved by virtually all of the major lines is welcome news,” said Simon Heaney, editor of Schedule Reliability Insight.
“Reliability is certainly a topical issue following Maersk CEO Eivind Kolding’s call for a ‘revolution’ within the industry towards a more customer-focused approach with quality service and ease of transaction at the fore. Let’s hope other lines follow the lead and this trend continues into the next quarter and beyond.”