[180812.EN.SEA] Ship On-time Performance Hits New Record High In Second Quarter

INDUSTRY-WIDE vessel schedule reliability has hit a new record high of 75.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, according to Drewry Maritime Research's quarterly report Carrier Performance Insight.

Its latest vessel on-time score represents a 3.4 per cent improvement from the level recorded in the first quarter. Ship arrival reliability improved particularly in May and June, which Drewry attributes to a settling down of schedules following network changes in April caused by the new alliances (G6 and CMA CGM/MSC).

"The latest data for the second quarter shows that freight rates have increased (from a low level), but so has ship on-time performance. We believe this is probably a fair deal for many shippers - a more expensive but more predictable service," said research manager Simon Heaney in a company statement.

Maersk Line and Hanjin Shipping not only maintained their positions as the two most reliable major carriers, but also improved on their first quarter performances. Maersk was said to have had its best-ever all-trades on-time score of 91.4 per cent in the second quarter, up from 89.8 per cent in the previous quarter.

Seventeen of the 27 major container shipping lines obtained a reliability score above the sector's 75.7 per cent on-time average in the second quarter, and only seven of the sample failed to improve on their score from the previous quarter.

The survey also ranks reliability by ship operator, albeit the exclusion of slot charter parties. The results show that the most reliable operators in the second quarter were Hanjin, Maersk, Hamburg Sud and CSAV.

Of the four main Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) included in the report, two improved by a few percentage points in the second quarter. These were "port-to-port transit time against schedule" and "cargo availability at destination port." One remained unchanged ("on-time shipment of cargo") and one decreased marginally ("shipping instruction and bill of lading issue time gap").

Sounding a note of caution, the researchers added:"The latest data on port dwell times is worrying. The ports of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Nhava Sheva are experiencing very long or increasing import dwell times. This may mean port congestion inefficiency (Nhava Sheva) or delays in merchants taking delivery of their containers, perhaps because they do not need the products for some time."

Source : HKSG.