Global liner schedule reliability rose to 62.4 per cent in April, the highest level so far in 2026, according to Copenhagen-based Sea-Intelligence, reports Saint Petersburg's PortNews.

The figure was up 0.4 percentage points month on month and 4.0 percentage points year on year, based on issue 177 of the company's Global Liner Performance report covering 34 trade lanes and more than 60 carriers.

The average delay for late vessel arrivals fell by 0.27 days month on month to 5.34 days, though it remained 0.31 days higher than in April 2025.

Maersk was the most reliable carrier among the top 13 in April at 76.1 per cent, followed by Hapag-Lloyd at 75.1 per cent. Five carriers were in the 60 to 70 per cent range, while another five were in the 50 to 60 per cent range. Wan Hai was the least reliable at 39.6 per cent.

Five of the 13 carriers improved month on month, while 11 recorded year-on-year gains. Gemini Cooperation posted the strongest alliance performance in March and April, with reliability of 85.0 per cent across all arrivals and 85.6 per cent across trade arrivals. MSC followed with 73.4 per cent and 72.3 per cent respectively. Premier Alliance recorded 54.2 per cent under both measures.

Under the old alliance structure, Ocean Alliance scored 67.6 per cent. Sea-Intelligence noted that alliance performance has traditionally been measured by arrivals in destination regions, but a second measure covering all arrivals was introduced in February 2025 to reflect the new alliances.