United States
PanamaCharleston to Balboa shipping route.
1,608 nautical miles via Panama Canal, about 4.8 days of steaming at 14 knots.
Sea Distance Between Ports: Charleston and Balboa
Port to Port Distance on the map, along real shipping lanes.
CharlestonPanama CanalBalboaShipping time from Charleston to Balboa
| Route | Distance | 12 kn | 14 kn | 18 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| via Panama Canal (shortest) | 1,608 nm | 5.6 d | 4.8 d | 3.7 d |
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About the Charleston to Balboa shipping route
Charleston to Balboa is a 1,608 nautical mile shipping route via Panama Canal, heading south from the United States to Panama. That is 2,978 km of water against 2,651 km as the crow flies. On the way the vessel passes Panama Canal, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.
Pure steaming time is 4.8 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 5.6 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 3.7. 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 Charleston and Balboa to plan the full ocean transit time.
367 nm of the route, 23% of it, lies inside North American 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 Charleston to Balboa move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Balboa (PABLB) carriers give about 7 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 Charleston in this directory, Balboa is the 3rd shortest. Closer destinations include Houston (1,401 nm) and New York (644 nm).
FAQ
How many nautical miles from Charleston to Balboa?
The port to port distance from Charleston to Balboa is 1,608 nautical miles (2,978 km), via Panama Canal. The route passes Panama Canal.
What is the shipping time from Charleston to Balboa?
About 4.8 days at 14 knots and 3.7 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?
367 nm sit inside ECA waters (North American ECA), where ships burn 0.1% sulphur fuel.
Is the return route the same?
The reverse route Balboa to Charleston has its own page with the same distance and route.
More port to port distance
- Charleston to New York644 nm
- Charleston to Houston1,401 nm
- Charleston to
Cartagena1,820 nm - Charleston to
Montreal2,046 nm - Charleston to
Callao2,994 nm - Charleston to
Manzanillo3,297 nm - Cartagena to Balboa328 nm
- Callao to Balboa1,386 nm
- Houston to Balboa1,552 nm
- Savannah to Balboa1,617 nm
- Manzanillo to Balboa1,690 nm
- New York to Balboa2,025 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.