# Only Around 50 Percent On-Time – Yet Sea Freight Remains Expensive **Category:** Transport | **Source:** Frachtportal Redaktion | **Published:** 2026-09-08 | **Updated:** 2026-09-12 **Tags:** Containertransport, Schifffahrt, Seefracht, Frachtraten, Drewry, World Container Index, Sea Intelligence, Lieferkette, Container, Spotrate, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Digitalisierung > Only 56.4 percent schedule reliability and an average delay of over six days: Unreliable timetables remain an expensive problem for freight transport. --- Anyone shipping a container by sea is currently paying a lot of money. In return, however, they don't necessarily get a reliable schedule. According to the latest figures from Sea-Intelligence, global schedule reliability in container shipping was only 56.4 percent in July 2026. This represented a decline of 6.1 percentage points compared to the previous month. Compared to July 2025, the figure was even 8.8 percentage points lower. In this measurement, a ship arrival is considered on-time if it arrives no more than one calendar day before or after the published schedule. Ships that arrived later had an average delay of 6.06 days in July. This was the highest value since January 2024. [Sea-Intelligence](https://sea-intelligence.com/press-room/404-july-global-schedule-reliability-drops-to-lowest-2026-level) At the same time, freight rates remain high. Drewry's World Container Index, or WCI, stood at $4,465 per 40-foot container on September 3rd. The index was thus 112 percent higher than a year earlier. [Drewry](https://www.drewry.co.uk/supply-chain-advisors/world-container-index-weekly-update) The WCI reflects agreed spot rates on eight major East-West routes. Spot rates are short-term negotiated prices and are not longer-term contract rates. On September 3rd, Shanghai-Rotterdam cost $4,092 according to Drewry, for example. Shanghai-New York, on the other hand, was at $9,587. For companies, this means: A high price is far from a guarantee of on-time arrival. If a ship arrives almost a week late, connecting transportation, production schedules, and customer deliveries can fall into disarray. There are additional costs to consider. Containers remain longer in the port, booked trucks must be rescheduled, and inventory levels become tight. It becomes particularly problematic when multiple delayed ships arrive in close succession. First there is a shortage of goods, and then too many containers arrive at once. The figures therefore show not just a problem for shipping lines. Poor reliability affects the entire supply chain—from manufacturers through retail to end customers. --- For ocean freight shipments, schedule planning should continue to be done with buffer time. A displayed arrival date is not a firm commitment. Companies should review which shipments are truly time-critical. For important goods, earlier departures, additional inventory reserves, or alternative routes may be worthwhile. Free time allowances for containers should also be known. Otherwise, storage fees, demurrage, and detention charges can quickly accumulate. When comparing quotations, therefore, the freight rate alone is not the deciding factor. The actual punctuality of the shipping line on the respective route is also important. The cheaper or more expensive service can ultimately incur additional costs if the cargo arrives several days late. In short: Ocean freight remains expensive, but reliability is not keeping pace with prices. --- Global schedule reliability stood at 56.4 percent in July 2026. This was the lowest figure of 2026. Schedule reliability declined by 6.1 percentage points compared to June. It was 8.8 percentage points lower compared to July 2025. Delayed vessels arrived on average 6.06 days late. Average delay increased by 0.59 days within one month. The Drewry World Container Index stood at USD 4,465 per 40-foot container on September 3. The WCI was 112 percent higher than one year previously. Shanghai–Rotterdam cost USD 4,092 per 40-foot container in the index. Shanghai–New York stood at USD 9,587 per 40-foot container. ## Related Entities ### Glossary - [Container](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/container) - [Freight](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/freight) - [Freight rate](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/freight-rate) - [Port](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/port) - [Supply chain](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/supply-chain-2) - [Shipping company](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/shipping-company) - [Sea freight](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/sea-freight) - [Spot market](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/spot-market) - [Supply Chain](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/supply-chain) - [Goods](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/goods) - [Movement of goods](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/movement-of-goods) - [Arrival](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/arrival) - [connecting traffic](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/connecting-traffic) - [At-Sea Port Operations](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/at-sea-port-operations) - [Sea freight](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/sea-freight-2) - [Bulk Freight Rate Benchmarking](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/bulk-freight-rate-benchmarking) - [Ocean Vessel Capacity Management](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/ocean-vessel-capacity-management) - [Spot Market Rate Management](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/spot-market-rate-management) - [Demurrage](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/demurrage-2) - [Port demurrage](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/port-demurrage) - [Demurrage Accrual](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/demurrage-accrual) - [TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/teu-twenty-foot-equivalent-unit) - [Spot Rate](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/spot-rate) - [Blank Sailing](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/blank-sailing) - [FEU (Forty-foot Equivalent Unit)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/feu-forty-foot-equivalent-unit) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/nur-noch-rund-50-prozent-puenktlich-und-trotzdem-bleibt-die-seefracht-teuer-20260906075428](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/nur-noch-rund-50-prozent-puenktlich-und-trotzdem-bleibt-die-seefracht-teuer-20260906075428)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/nur-noch-rund-50-prozent-puenktlich-und-trotzdem-bleibt-die-seefracht-teuer-20260906075428](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/nur-noch-rund-50-prozent-puenktlich-und-trotzdem-bleibt-die-seefracht-teuer-20260906075428)*