Transit Time Trends Report Q2 2026

Q2 2026 was the quarter after the Strait of Hormuz disruption. While the Strait reopened and closed repeatedly in Q2, the disruption extended beyond a single region. Congestion at major transshipment hubs, weather-related port delays, and an early peak season kept global shipping networks under pressure.

One trend remained consistent throughout the quarter: actual transit times exceeded planned transit times across all six trade lanes highlighted in this report, in every month of Q2.

This report examines where transit time gaps narrowed, where they widened, and what changed from Q1. It separates structural delays from seasonal and event-driven disruptions, helping logistics teams plan against measured lane performance rather than published schedules.

Transit Time Trends: Key Highlights from Q2 2026

Network-level insights

• Actual transit times exceeded planned transit times across all six trade lanes covered in this report, in every month of Q2.
• Asia (China-Korea-Japan) → North/West Europe recorded the largest average transit time gap, while Southeast Asia → North America recorded the largest widening from Q1.
• Congestion at transshipment hubs, weather-related port delays, and an early peak season contributed to longer transit times across multiple trade lanes.

Trade lane performance

• ‍Asia (China-Korea-Japan) → North/West Europe: Transit time deviation narrowed from +5.4 days in Q1 to +4.5 days in Q2 but remained structurally elevated.‍
• Asia (China-Korea-Japan) → North America: Transit times remained close to carrier schedules, while blank sailings and rolled cargo increased pre-departure schedule risk.‍
• Oceania → Asia (China-Korea-Japan): The transit time gap widened as congestion replaced seasonal disruption as the primary driver.‍
• Southeast Asia → North America: Transit time deviation widened to +3.1 days, making it the largest increase among the six trade lanes.‍
• Southeast Asia → Southeast Asia: Although the gap remained small in absolute days, it was the largest in proportion to the planned transit time.‍
• Southeast Asia → Asia (China-Korea-Japan): Published schedules became shorter while actual transit times remained largely unchanged, widening the planning gap.

This report is based on transit time data from actual containers tracked on the Portcast platform. While Portcast monitors hundreds of trade lanes across global shipping networks, this report focuses on six major global trade lanes.

Download the full Q2 2026 report to benchmark your transit times, understand lane-level performance, and plan with measured data rather than carrier schedules.