Sweden
South AfricaGothenburg to Cape Town shipping route.
6,749 nautical miles direct, about 20.1 days of steaming at 14 knots.
Sea Distance Between Ports: Gothenburg and Cape Town
Port to Port Distance on the map, along real shipping lanes.
GothenburgSeaCape TownShipping time from Gothenburg to Cape Town
| Route | Distance | 12 kn | 14 kn | 18 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| direct (shortest) | 6,749 nm | 23.4 d | 20.1 d | 15.6 d |
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About the Gothenburg to Cape Town shipping route
Ships leaving Gothenburg for Cape Town head south and cover a sea distance of 6,749 nautical miles (12,499 km), on a direct course. The straight line between the ports is 10,210 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. No canals or major straits on this leg, the ship stays close to the direct line.
Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 20.1 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 23.4 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 15.6. 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 Gothenburg and Cape Town to plan the full ocean transit time.
854 nm of the route, 13% of it, lies inside North Sea ECA and Baltic 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 Gothenburg to Cape Town move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Cape Town (ZACPT) carriers give about 3 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 Gothenburg in this directory, Cape Town is the 32nd shortest. Closer destinations include Jebel Ali (6,710 nm), Karachi (6,636 nm) and Callao (6,534 nm).
FAQ
How many nautical miles from Gothenburg to Cape Town?
The port to port distance from Gothenburg to Cape Town is 6,749 nautical miles (12,499 km), direct.
What is the shipping time from Gothenburg to Cape Town?
About 20.1 days at 14 knots and 15.6 days at 18 knots of steaming, without port calls. Scheduled liner services add calls and transhipment.
How much of the route is in an emission control area?
854 nm sit inside ECA waters (North Sea ECA, Baltic Sea ECA), where ships burn 0.1% sulphur fuel.
Is the return route the same?
The reverse route Cape Town to Gothenburg has its own page with the same distance and route.
More port to port distance
- Gothenburg to
Bremerhaven342 nm - Gothenburg to Hamburg389 nm
- Gothenburg to
Gdansk419 nm - Gothenburg to
Rotterdam489 nm - Gothenburg to
Felixstowe537 nm - Gothenburg to
Antwerp541 nm - Durban to Cape Town875 nm
Lagos (Apapa) to Cape Town2,619 nm
Mombasa to Cape Town2,631 nm
Santos to Cape Town3,508 nm
Buenos Aires to Cape Town3,846 nm
Salalah to Cape Town4,010 nm
How we count: sea routes follow shipping lanes and canals, time is pure steaming at 14 knots without port calls. Engine navo-distance-time 0.3.0. See all sea distance between ports or the Shipping Routes Directory.