GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Aug 15, 2026

Schedule Reliability

A shipper books a consignment out of Shanghai against a fixed onward appointment in Europe and asks the forwarder how dependable the schedule really is – schedule reliability is the answer.

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Last updated: 15 August 2026

Source: Frachtportal-News «Taifun Dolphin verschärft Hafenstau in China» (12.08.2026)

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Logistics Concept

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1 min

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132

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Definition & Explanation

A shipper books a consignment out of Shanghai against a fixed onward appointment in Europe and asks the forwarder how dependable the schedule really is – schedule reliability is the answer. The metric measures the share of vessel arrivals that fall within a defined tolerance window around the announced schedule, commonly one day either side of the planned arrival. Market analysts calculate it per carrier, service and trade lane and publish it monthly, usually alongside the average delay of late vessels. During disruption – port congestion after a typhoon, diversions, strikes – the figure drops sharply, while cancelled sailings may not enter the statistic at all, depending on methodology. For planning purposes it is an indicator rather than a guarantee: it describes past voyages and does not replace checking the individual booking.

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Schedule Reliability

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