Hamburg to Yokohama shipping route.

Ships leaving Hamburg for Yokohama head north east and cover a sea distance of 11,569 nautical miles (21,426 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 8,999 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar, Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of Malacca 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 34.4 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 40.2 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 26.8. 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 Hamburg and Yokohama to plan the full ocean transit time.

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Panama Canal sails 12,918 nm instead of 11,569 nm and spends roughly 4.0 extra days at sea. Ask your forwarder which routing the carrier uses: the booking price and the arrival date both depend on it.

2,599 nm of the route, 22% 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 Hamburg to Yokohama move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Yokohama (JPYOK) carriers give about 8 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 64 port to port routes from Hamburg in this directory, Yokohama is the 61st shortest. Closer destinations include Melbourne (11,432 nm), Dalian (11,249 nm) and Incheon (11,234 nm).