A new analysis by Sunday Spotlight (Issue 720) ranks the world’s deep-sea container ports based on schedule reliability, revealing surprising results that challenge traditional assumptions about global port performance.
Methodology: Weighting Recency and Volume
The study assessed 202 deep-sea ports over a 14-year period, analyzing nearly 14 years of monthly schedule reliability data. However, instead of simply averaging past performance, the report introduced two key adjustments:
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Recency Bias: Greater weight was given to more recent data (2025) and less to older data (2012), recognizing that recent performance is more relevant for future expectations.
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Call Volume Factor: Ports with higher vessel call volumes were evaluated more rigorously, acknowledging that maintaining reliability amid higher traffic is more challenging.
Surprisingly Poor Rankings for Major Ports
Among the 20 most frequently called ports in the world:
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Average schedule reliability rank: 124th out of 202
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Average reliability score: 60.3%
Some major global ports and their rankings:
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Shanghai: 169th
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Singapore: 145th
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Rotterdam: 106th
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Los Angeles: 124th
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Long Beach: 155th
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Tanjung Pelepas: 46th (only top-50 entry among major hubs)
This illustrates that greater port connectivity often correlates with lower reliability, likely due to higher congestion, more vessel calls, and increased operational complexity.
Key Insight: Global Hubs ≠ High Reliability
While large ports are essential for global trade due to their connectivity and infrastructure, they tend to rank poorly in terms of schedule reliability. The report notes that while vessel schedule performance plays a major role, port operations still significantly impact outcomes, making this an important performance metric for shippers and carriers alike.
The study highlights the need to look beyond connectivity and consider actual performance data when evaluating ports. Ports in Central and South America, often overlooked, are setting new standards in schedule reliability—offering lessons for global logistics players aiming for efficiency and resilience in increasingly volatile supply chains.
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Source: SEA INTELLIGENCE
