Charleston to Incheon shipping route.

The shipping route from Charleston, United States to Incheon, South Korea covers 10,228 nautical miles port to port, via Panama Canal. On a globe the two ports sit 11,732 km apart, so the ship sails 1.61 times the straight line distance. 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 30.4 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 35.5 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 23.7. 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 Incheon to plan the full ocean transit time.

The next option is via Suez Canal, 13,228 nautical miles, 3,000 nm longer than the main route. Carriers pick it when Strait of Gibraltar is congested or closed.

367 nm of the route, 4% 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 Incheon move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Incheon (KRINC) carriers give about 10 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, Incheon is the 49th shortest. Closer destinations include Busan (9,793 nm), Melbourne (9,750 nm) and Sydney (9,442 nm).