Gothenburg to Mombasa shipping route.

Ships leaving Gothenburg for Mombasa head south east and cover a sea distance of 6,841 nautical miles (12,669 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 7,304 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar, Bab-el-Mandeb 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 20.4 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 23.8 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 15.8. 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 Gothenburg and Mombasa 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 9,220 nautical miles, 2,379 more, and adds about 7.1 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.

2,789 nm of the route, 41% 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.

Container freight rates on Gothenburg to Mombasa move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one.

Of the 65 port to port routes from Gothenburg in this directory, Mombasa is the 37th shortest. Closer destinations include Manzanillo (6,837 nm), Buenos Aires (6,820 nm) and Nhava Sheva (6,810 nm).