Target, the eighth largest retailer in the US, is the latest shipper to charter in its own tonnage in the ongoing battle to keep its shelves stocked amid this year’s desperate supply chain situation. “As co-managers of the ship, we can avoid delays from additional stops and steer clear of particularly backed-up ports,” Target said, without revealing who it is working with and the size of the vessel.

Big retail brands including Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and Ikea have gone down a similar vessel chartering path in recent months as port congestion has worsened and liner schedule reliability has sunk to record lows where less than one in three boxships are arriving on time.