South Africa
SpainCape Town to Algeciras shipping route.
5,244 nautical miles direct, about 15.6 days of steaming at 14 knots.
Sea Distance Between Ports: Cape Town and Algeciras
Port to Port Distance on the map, along real shipping lanes.
Cape TownStrait of GibraltarAlgecirasShipping time from Cape Town to Algeciras
| Route | Distance | 12 kn | 14 kn | 18 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| direct (shortest) | 5,244 nm | 18.2 d | 15.6 d | 12.1 d |
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About the Cape Town to Algeciras shipping route
Cape Town to Algeciras is a 5,244 nautical mile shipping route on a direct course, heading north from South Africa to Spain. That is 9,711 km of water against 8,178 km as the crow flies. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar.
At sea, the voyage lasts 18.2 days at 12 knots, 15.6 days at 14 knots and 12.1 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 Cape Town and Algeciras to plan the full ocean transit time.
32 nm of the route, 1% 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.
Container freight rates on Cape Town to Algeciras move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Algeciras (ESALG) 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 Cape Town in this directory, Algeciras is the 14th shortest. Closer destinations include Jebel Ali (4,905 nm), Mundra (4,887 nm) and Jeddah (4,837 nm).
FAQ
How many nautical miles from Cape Town to Algeciras?
The port to port distance from Cape Town to Algeciras is 5,244 nautical miles (9,711 km), direct. The route passes Strait of Gibraltar.
What is the shipping time from Cape Town to Algeciras?
About 15.6 days at 14 knots and 12.1 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?
32 nm sit inside ECA waters (Mediterranean Sea ECA), where ships burn 0.1% sulphur fuel.
Is the return route the same?
The reverse route Algeciras to Cape Town has its own page with the same distance and route.
More port to port distance
- Cape Town to Durban875 nm
- Cape Town to
Lagos (Apapa)2,619 nm - Cape Town to
Mombasa2,631 nm - Cape Town to
Santos3,508 nm - Cape Town to
Buenos Aires3,846 nm - Cape Town to
Salalah4,010 nm - Valencia to Algeciras406 nm
- Barcelona to Algeciras545 nm
Genoa to Algeciras877 nm
Marsaxlokk to Algeciras1,001 nm
Le Havre to Algeciras1,207 nm
Felixstowe to Algeciras1,333 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.