Felixstowe to Seattle shipping route.

Felixstowe to Seattle is a 8,970 nautical mile shipping route via Panama Canal, heading north west from the United Kingdom to the United States. That is 16,613 km of water against 7,722 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.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 26.7 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 31.1 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 20.8. 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 Seattle to plan the full ocean transit time.

The next option is via Strait of Magellan, 14,432 nautical miles, 5,462 nm longer than the main route. Carriers pick it when Strait of Magellan is congested or closed.

1,709 nm of the route, 19% of it, lies inside North American ECA, US Caribbean Sea ECA and North 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 Seattle move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Seattle (USSEA) carriers give about 3.94 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, Seattle is the 42nd shortest. Closer destinations include Ho Chi Minh City (8,938 nm), Tanjung Priok (8,586 nm) and Singapore (8,309 nm).