Germany
South AfricaBremerhaven to Cape Town shipping route.
6,524 nautical miles direct, about 19.4 days of steaming at 14 knots.
Sea Distance Between Ports: Bremerhaven and Cape Town
Port to Port Distance on the map, along real shipping lanes.
BremerhavenSeaCape TownShipping time from Bremerhaven to Cape Town
| Route | Distance | 12 kn | 14 kn | 18 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| direct (shortest) | 6,524 nm | 22.7 d | 19.4 d | 15.1 d |
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About the Bremerhaven to Cape Town shipping route
Bremerhaven to Cape Town is a 6,524 nautical mile shipping route on a direct course, heading south from Germany to South Africa. That is 12,082 km of water against 9,775 km as the crow flies. No canals or major straits on this leg, the ship stays close to the direct line.
At sea, the voyage lasts 22.7 days at 12 knots, 19.4 days at 14 knots and 15.1 days at 18 knots. 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 Bremerhaven and Cape Town to plan the full ocean transit time.
629 nm of the route, 10% of it, lies inside North 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 Bremerhaven to Cape Town move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Cape Town (ZACPT) carriers give about 3 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.
Of the 63 port to port routes from Bremerhaven in this directory, Cape Town is the 30th shortest. Closer destinations include Jebel Ali (6,485 nm), Callao (6,448 nm) and Karachi (6,411 nm).
FAQ
How many nautical miles from Bremerhaven to Cape Town?
The port to port distance from Bremerhaven to Cape Town is 6,524 nautical miles (12,082 km), direct.
What is the shipping time from Bremerhaven to Cape Town?
About 19.4 days at 14 knots and 15.1 days at 18 knots of steaming, without port calls. Scheduled liner services add calls and transhipment.
How much of the route is in an emission control area?
629 nm sit inside ECA waters (North Sea ECA), where ships burn 0.1% sulphur fuel.
Is the return route the same?
The reverse route Cape Town to Bremerhaven has its own page with the same distance and route.
More port to port distance
- Bremerhaven to
Antwerp316 nm - Bremerhaven to
Felixstowe325 nm - Bremerhaven to
Gothenburg342 nm - Bremerhaven to London Gateway358 nm
- Bremerhaven to
Le Havre454 nm - Bremerhaven to
Gdansk738 nm - Durban to Cape Town875 nm
Lagos (Apapa) to Cape Town2,619 nm
Mombasa to Cape Town2,631 nm
Santos to Cape Town3,508 nm
Buenos Aires to Cape Town3,846 nm
Salalah to Cape Town4,010 nm
How we count: sea routes follow shipping lanes and canals, time is pure steaming at 14 knots without port calls. Engine navo-distance-time 0.3.0. See all sea distance between ports or the Shipping Routes Directory.