Gdansk to Qingdao shipping route.

Ships leaving Gdansk for Qingdao head north east and cover a sea distance of 11,681 nautical miles (21,633 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 7,503 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of Malacca and Strait of Gibraltar, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

Pure steaming time is 34.8 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 40.6 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 27.0. Liner schedules on the lane quote 5 to 68 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 56 sailings by 8 carriers (CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk).

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Panama Canal sails 14,210 nm instead of 11,681 nm and spends roughly 7.5 extra days at sea. Ask your forwarder which routing the carrier uses: the booking price and the arrival date both depend on it.

3,185 nm of the route, 27% of it, lies inside North Sea ECA, Baltic 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.

Recent freight rates for PLGDN to CNTAO start at $1,905 for a 20GP and $2,948 for a 40GP ($3,005 for a 40HC). These are spot market prices from carriers that sail the lane; your quote will also include terminal handling, documentation and any bunker surcharge. At Qingdao (CNTAO) carriers give about 6 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 Gdansk in this directory, Qingdao is the 57th shortest. Closer destinations include Shanghai (11,417 nm), Ningbo (11,303 nm) and Kaohsiung (10,879 nm).