Global liner schedule reliability rebounded in November 2025, rising 2.8 percent to 64.1 percent, according to Sea-Intelligence’s latest Global Liner Performance report, marking the second-highest figure ever recorded for the month.
Sea-Intelligence’s issue 172 of its Global Liner Performance (GLP) report shows November 2025 global schedule reliability climbed 2.8 percent to 64.1 percent, matching levels last seen between May and September.
November 2025 also recorded the second-highest schedule reliability figure for the month.
On a year-on-year basis, reliability increased by 9.5 percent.
At the same time, the average delay for late vessel arrivals fell month on-month by 0.16 days to 4. 88 days, marking the second- lower November figure on record.
Compared with a year earlier, the November 2025 delay was 0.54 days lower.
In November 2025, Maersk ranked as the most reliable among the top 13 carriers, posting a schedule reliability of 78.1 percent, closely followed by Hapag- Lloyd at 77.1 percent.
During October and November 2025, Gemini Cooperation achieved schedule reliability of 89.7 percent across all arrivals and 88.3 percent for trade arrivals.
MSC followed with 74.4 percent for all arrivals and 75.2 percent for trade arrivals.
Premier Alliance posted significantly lower figures, recording 55.7 percent across all arrivals and 55.0 percent for trade arrivals.
Among the “old” alliances, where all arrivals and trade arrivals remain identical, the Ocean Alliance achieved a schedule reliability of 61.1 percent.
“Traditionally, alliance scores are based on just the arrivals in destination regions, but as that metric was not available for the new alliances in February, we introduced a new measure, based on all arrivals, including the origin region calls on the East/West trades,” said Alan Murphy, CEO, Sea-Intelligence.
“We continue to present both measures, ‘All arrivals’, which is comparable to the February measure, and ‘Trade arrivals’, which is comparable to the ‘old’ alliances.
When the new alliances are fully rolled out, these two measures will converge.”
In other news, global trade is on track to surpass $35 trillion in 2025 for the first time, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s final Global Trade Update of the year.
Pacific Basin signs up for Chinese handysize newbuilds
Pacific Basin Shipping has turned to China for its latest newbuilding move, signing up a quartet of handysize bulk carriers in a break from its long-standing preference for Japanese yards.
The Hong Kong-listed owner operator of more than 250 bulkers has struck a deal at Jiangmen Nanyang Ship Engineering (JNS) to acquire four 40,000 dwt vessels for about $119.2m, the ships are scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2028.
The move marks Pacific Basin’s first order at a Chinese yard in 11 years, after a pair of supramaxes at Tsuneishi Zhoushan.
The vessels will feature fuel-efficient, open hatch and logs-fitted designs, offering higher cargo intake – and more flexibility than earlier standard handysize tonnage, the company said.
The deal doubles the size of Pacific Basin’s current newbuilding programme, which already includes four dual-fuel ultramax vessels ordered in November 2024.
Unlike those ships, the new handysizes will be conventionally powered, reflecting what the company described as a lack of proven dual-fuel designs in this segment and regulatory uncertainty following the IMO’s October 2025 decision to post- pone its planned Net Zero Framework.
Chief executive Martin Fruergaard said the order fits with Pacific Basin’s strategy of disciplined fleet renewal and growth.
“We see this four-ship deal as a well-timed opportunity to acquire modern, efficient and flexible handysize vessels to replace some of our recently sold older, smaller ships,” Fruergaard said, adding that the cargo flexibility of the design should support more triangulated trading and improved TCE performance.
He also noted that the agreed pricing was attractive for 2028 deliveries and said the company is familiar with JNS, which has built vessels for Pacific Basin in the past.
The last ships from JNS were 33,200- 33,900 dwt units, delivered between 2008 and 2010.
Port of Barcelona unveils advanced coffee terminal
The Port of Barcelona has announced that the Barcelona International Terminal, S.A. (BIT), a joint venture between SGS and Masiques, will have the most advanced coffee terminal in southern Europe.
Building the new terminal involves an investment of 30 million ($35.4 million), 20 million (£23.6 million) of which will be provided by the Barcelona Free Zone Consortium and 10 million ($11.8 million) by the Port of Barcelona of the transfer of the current BIT facilities, to meet Elian’s need for space to expand the terminal run by this company within the port precinct.
The new BIT will be built in section VI of the Ronda del Port, on a plot of 53,380 square metres (m2) that CZFB will run under a management concession for the next 50 years.
It will comprise two ware- houses connected by a canopy, offices and services, and spaces for loading and unloading trucks, with a built-up area of 27,476.79 m.
The facilities will incorporate solar thermal and photovoltaic systems and constant temperature and humidity control to guarantee optimal conditions for the green coffee beans stored there.
Consequently, the new BIT facilities will be designed and built specifically for coffee storage and logistics operations, respecting the highest quality and efficiency standards, and will be ready to accommodate increases in traffic over the coming years.
The project, which will take 36 months to complete, was unveiled today by Port of Barcelona president José Alberto Carbonell; Pere Navarro, Spanish Government special delegate to the Barcelona Free Zone Consortium; José Miguel Masiques, CEO of Masiques; and Marc Tauste, BIT manager.
Port of Barcelona President, José Alberto Carbonell, highlighted: “BIT is the leading green coffee terminal in southern Europe, and the new project that we are presenting today will allow it to maintain this leading role.
“This project is also an exercise in institutional cooperation.
We have worked with the Barcelona Free Zone Consortium and with the companies involved Masiques and SGS-to better organise the area and ensure that each activity enjoys the necessary conditions to grow and be competitive.”
Pere Navarro, Spanish Government special delegate to the CZFB, said: “This is a forward- looking project that clearly shows how a desire to achieve objectives, alongside coordinated work between the public and private sectors. yields very positive results that generate opportunities for people and the surrounding area.
“Likewise, this action reiterates CZFB’s commitment to sustainable reindustrialisation and the generation of economic value and employment.”
Earlier this month, the Port of Barcelona approved its Energy Transition Plan, derived from the Fourth Strategic Plan, establishing the port’s energy policy through 2040 with the goal of reducing GHG emissions by 85 percent compared to 2017 and achieving emissions neutrality by 2050.
ONE to acquire minority stake in Dalian Container Terminal
Ocean Network Express (ONE) has entered into an agreement to acquire a minority stake in Dalian Container Terminal (DCT) in Dalian, China.
Situated at the largest foreign container trade hub in Northeast China, DCT is among the region’s leading dedicated container terminals, with an annual capacity of 6.6 million TEU.
The terminal comprises 14 container berths, a total quay length of 4,390 metres, and modern facilities with deep drafts capable of handling large container vessels.
Hiroki Tsujii, Global Chief Officer of ONE’s Product and Network division, said: “This acquisition of a minority stake aligns with our strategy of ensuring access at key regional ports.
“The ownership stake allows us to collaborate with DCT and contribute to its continued infrastructure development and green terminal initiatives, further supporting Dalian’s role as a key gateway for international trade in Northeast China.”
Recently, ONE announced an enhancement to its Adriatic Service 1 (ADI), providing broader coverage and improved connectivity for cargo shipments.
Port of Oakland volumes dip as exports hold firm
The Port of Oakland processed 174,239 TEUS in November 2025, marking a 4.1 percent decline year- over-year (YoY) and a 4.7 percent drop from October.
Loaded cargo volumes remained resilient, underpinned by continued export strength.
Loaded exports reached 68,824 TEUs, up 3.3 percent year over year and 4.0 percent month-on- month (MoM), reinforcing Oakland’s position as a key US gateway for agricultural exports and the nation’s leading port for refrigerated cargo.
Loaded imports totalled 73,092 TEUS, down 9.3 percent YoY and 11.1 percent from October, reflecting softer import demand.
Bryan Brandes, Maritime Director at the Port of Oakland, said: “Exports continue to anchor Oakland’s performance.
Even as market conditions adjust, exporters are moving cargo consistently, supported by efficient terminal operations and reliable service.”
Total loaded container volumes reached 141,915 TEUs, down 3.6 percent year over year but largely flat compared with October.
Empty container volumes declined to 32,324 TEUs, falling 6.4 percent YoY and 6.3 percent MOM, driven primarily by carrier equipment repositioning rather than shifts in underlying demand.
Vessel calls numbered 76 in November, down 8.4 percent YoY and 11.6 percent from October, as carriers continued to consolidate services and deploy larger vessels.
Fewer calls combined with higher average loads per vessel helped sustain overall terminal throughput.
Overall, November’s results highlight Oakland’s ability to navigate evolving market conditions, with export momentum and operational efficiency providing stability amid broader industry adjustments.
In October, the Port of Oakland recorded encouraging throughput figures, handling a total of 182,879 TEUS, an increase of 2.2 percent from the previous month.
Morocco pushes growth with deepwater ports
Morocco is advancing two major deepwater port projects to boost its role in global trade, reports Fort Lauderdale’s Maritime Executive.
The Ministry of Equipment and Water said Nador West Med on the Mediterranean coast is ready and could open by late 2026.
The port is designed as a transshipment hub with initial capacity of 1.8 million TEU, rising to 5.5 million TEU in later phases.
Nador West Med aims to rival European ports including Atlantic and Valencia, Concessions have been awarded, with Marsa Maroc and CMA Terminals taking the West Terminal with MSC Group’s Terminal Investment Limited will run the second container terminal.
The port lies close to East- west shipping routes and includes a free industrial zone of 800 hectares, expandable to 5,000 hectares.
It will also host Morocco’s first LNG terminal, with a floating storage and regasification unit linked to industrial centres in the north- west.
Further south, Morocco is building a US$1 billion port at Dakhla on the Atlantic coast, due in 2028.
The facility will be the country’s deepest at 23 metres, with 1,600 hectares for industry and 5,200 hectares of farmland irrigated by desalinated water.
Both Nador and Dakhla will have quays for exporting green hydrogen once production begins, underscoring Morocco’s renewable energy drive.
The projects follow Tanger Med’s success, which by 2024 supported 1,400 firms across multiple sectors.
Yang Ming's dry bulk arm lines up ultramax quartet at Japanese yards
Taiwanese liner group Yang Ming has returned to the newbuilding market through its bulk shipping arm Kuang Ming Shipping, placing orders for four ultramax bulk carriers in Japan.
According to a stock exchange filing, the contracts carry a combined value of between NT$4.9bn and NT$5.4bn (about $155m-$171m), signalling longer-term confidence in dry bulk demand.
The order covers two ultramaxes at Nihon Shipyard and Imabari Shipbuilding, priced at around NT$1.2bn to NT$1.4bn. each, and another two ultramaxes booked at Oshima Shipbuilding in partnership with Sumisho Marine, at similar price levels.
Delivery dates were not disclosed.
Kuang Ming currently operates a fleet of 11 bulk carriers, including 10 owned vessels ranging from ultramax to kamsarmax size, alongside a long-term chartered capesize.
Founded in 1990, Kuang Ming initially acted as a booking agent supporting Yang Ming’s container operations.
The company entered dry bulk shipping in 2008 as part of the group’s diversification offices and ‘s push.
The latest order marks Kuang Ming’s first newbuilding move in nearly a decade.
Its previous campaign saw four ultramaxes ordered at Iwagi Zosen between 2014 and 2015, with deliveries completed between 2016 and 2018.