Felixstowe to Piraeus shipping route.

Ships leaving Felixstowe for Piraeus head south east and cover a sea distance of 2,761 nautical miles (5,113 km), on a direct course. The straight line between the ports is 2,329 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 8.2 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 9.6 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 6.4. 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 Felixstowe and Piraeus to plan the full ocean transit time.

1,804 nm of the route, 65% of it, lies inside North 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 Felixstowe to Piraeus move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Piraeus (GRPIR) carriers give about 6.75 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 61 port to port routes from Felixstowe in this directory, Piraeus is the 10th shortest. Closer destinations include Marsaxlokk (2,313 nm), Genoa (2,188 nm) and Barcelona (1,857 nm).