Summary
Container shipping reliability fell further in September. Typhoons since July have compounded existing congestion at Asian ports, and Xeneta expects October to be worse. Asia–Europe is the hardest-hit trade: its 4% on-time reading is the weakest on a major lane since Asia–North America hit 3% in September 2021.
Key numbers
- Global on-time arrivals, Sep
- 27%
- Average Q3 delay
- 6 days
- Asia–Europe on time
- 4%
- China–USWC spot, $/FEU
- $7,717
Global on-time arrivals, Sep
down ~2 pts from August
Average Q3 delay
2.4 days worse than start of Q2
Asia–Europe on time
9.9-day average delay
China–USWC spot, $/FEU
vs. $3,649 contract, >2x
EXHIBIT 1Carrier on-time performance
September 2026, % of arrivals on time
*12-month low. Every carrier recorded its highest average delay of the past year. Maersk was best, down 4 pts.
Gemini (Maersk + Hapag-Lloyd), launched Feb 2025 with a 90%+ pledge, fell from 70% on time in June to 40% in September, a steeper decline than other alliances.
EXHIBIT 2Port congestion
Queue length and wait time can move in opposite directions, so assess both.
EXHIBIT 3Capacity and rates
China–US West Coast spot at $7,717/FEU is more than double the $3,649/FEU contract rate, and contract pricing is now rising as well.
Educational research, not investment advice. Prepared by student analysts of the Commodities and Shipping Club at Northeastern University from the sources cited above.
