Djibouti to Manzanillo shipping route.

Ships leaving Djibouti for Manzanillo head north west and cover a sea distance of 9,360 nautical miles (17,335 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 15,084 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar, Bab-el-Mandeb, Panama Canal and Suez Canal, 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 27.9 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 32.5 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 21.7. 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 Djibouti and Manzanillo to plan the full ocean transit time.

The shortest route goes through the Red Sea. Since attacks on shipping began there in late 2023, many carriers send ships via Cape of Good Hope instead. That route is 12,338 nautical miles, 2,978 more, and adds about 8.9 days at 14 knots. Longer voyages burn more fuel and tie up more ships, which is why freight rates on Red Sea lanes jumped when the diversions started.

2,083 nm of the route, 22% of it, lies inside US Caribbean Sea ECA and 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 Djibouti to Manzanillo move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Manzanillo (MXZLO) 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 65 port to port routes from Djibouti in this directory, Manzanillo is the 61st shortest. Closer destinations include Callao (9,057 nm), Auckland (8,158 nm) and Houston (8,069 nm).