Balboa to Marsaxlokk shipping route.

Ships leaving Balboa for Marsaxlokk head north east and cover a sea distance of 5,370 nautical miles (9,945 km), via Panama Canal. The straight line between the ports is 9,792 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar and Panama Canal, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 16.0 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 18.6 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 12.4. Container transit time on a liner service is longer than the steaming time: ships call at other ports on the rotation, and cargo may transship at a hub. Add terminal time at Balboa and Marsaxlokk to plan the full ocean transit time.

1,159 nm of the route, 22% of it, lies inside US Caribbean Sea ECA and Mediterranean Sea ECA. In an emission control area ships must burn fuel with no more than 0.1% sulphur or clean the exhaust with scrubbers. That fuel costs more, and carriers add it to the ocean freight bill as a low sulphur or ECA surcharge.

Container freight rates on Balboa to Marsaxlokk move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Marsaxlokk (MTMAR) carriers give about 6 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 65 port to port routes from Balboa in this directory, Marsaxlokk is the 27th shortest. Closer destinations include Lagos (Apapa) (5,272 nm), Genoa (5,246 nm) and Gothenburg (5,148 nm).