Barcelona to Laem Chabang shipping route.

Ships leaving Barcelona for Laem Chabang head east and cover a sea distance of 7,460 nautical miles (13,816 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 9,761 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb and Strait of Malacca, 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 22.2 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 25.9 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 17.3. Liner schedules on the lane quote 29 to 56 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 55 sailings by 4 carriers (CMA CGM, ONE, OOCL and ZIM).

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Cape of Good Hope sails 12,071 nm instead of 7,460 nm and spends roughly 13.7 extra days at sea. Ask your forwarder which routing the carrier uses: the booking price and the arrival date both depend on it.

1,591 nm of the route, 21% of it, lies inside 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.

Recent freight rates for ESBCN to THLCH start at $2,775 for a 20GP and $4,490 for a 40GP ($3,550 for a 40HC). These are spot market prices from carriers that sail the lane; your quote will also include terminal handling, documentation and any bunker surcharge. At Laem Chabang (THLCH) carriers give about 5 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 64 port to port routes from Barcelona in this directory, Laem Chabang is the 43rd shortest. Closer destinations include Ho Chi Minh City (7,292 nm), Tanjung Priok (6,940 nm) and Singapore (6,663 nm).