Drewry’s Cancelled Sailings Tracker provides a weekly snapshot of blank sailings—voyages that were scheduled but later cancelled—across major East–West container shipping routes. These include the Transpacific, Transatlantic, and Asia–North Europe & Mediterranean trade lanes.
Cancelled Sailings Tracker
The most recent update, covering the period from July 14 to August 17, 2025, reports that 39 out of 720 scheduled sailings have been cancelled, resulting in a blank sailing rate of just 5%. Of these cancellations, 59% are on the Transpacific Eastbound route, 31% on Asia–North Europe and Mediterranean, and the remaining 10% on the Transatlantic Westbound route. The data suggests that overall schedule reliability has significantly improved, with approximately 95% of departures expected to occur as planned.
Despite this short-term stability, spot freight rates have continued to fall. Drewry’s World Container Index recently dropped by 5%, bringing average rates down to \$2,672 per 40-foot container. All major trade routes recorded declines—Transpacific and Transatlantic routes each saw a 6% decrease, while Asia–Europe and Mediterranean lanes dropped by 5%. These rate changes are seen as a direct result of better vessel availability and improved schedule adherence.
Earlier in 2025, the situation was more volatile. March and April saw a notable increase in cancellations, with 198 blank sailings recorded over two months—up from 135 during the same period in 2024. The Asia–US West Coast and Transatlantic routes were most affected, with some carriers maintaining over 40 blank sailings per month even after the seasonal slowdown following Chinese New Year. The spike in cancellations was partly attributed to importers in North America delaying shipments amid tariff uncertainties, while some industry observers noted that carriers may have strategically used blank sailings to restrict capacity and strengthen their negotiating position ahead of annual contract renewals.
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Source: Drewry
