Evelyn Maersk at Rotterdam

The third quarter (Q3) schedule reliability review by maritime analyst SeaIntel shows Maersk Line retaining the top spot, despite an industry-wide decline.

Maersk Line posted a score of 83.9 per cent, compared to 85.7 per cent in the previous quarter, while schedule reliability among the top 20 global carriers dropped from 75.5 per cent in Q2 to 71.7 per cent in Q3.

Severe congestion issues throughout major hub ports in North Europe, the US and Asia – particularly Tanjung Pelepas, Hong Kong and Shanghai – are cited as the main reason for the decline.

“We understand that the decline in the ratings is a result of the bottlenecks in the ports,” said head of operations execution Keith Svendsen. “We are pleased that Maersk Line retained its number one position. Our ambition remains to maintain industry leadership in schedule reliability.”

For the tenth consecutive quarter, Maersk Line was named best in the Asia – North Europe trade lane with a schedule reliability of 95.5 per cent.

In the Asia – Mediterranean network, Maersk Line placed second behind CSAV and CMA CGM. Small carriers in the market, on the other hand, dominate the Transpacific EB route.

Two months prior to the implementation of 2M with MSC, Maersk Line is set to deliver a stronger network in the East-West trades for its customers. To safeguard its stronghold on reliability performance, Maersk Line has put into place, together with MSC, clear parameters. One of the agreed standards for the new network is to deliver upper quartile Schedule Reliability as measured by SeaIntel.