Hong Kong to Le Havre shipping route.

The shipping route from Hong Kong to Le Havre, France covers 9,616 nautical miles port to port, via Suez Canal. On a globe the two ports sit 9,731 km apart, so the ship sails 1.83 times the straight line distance. 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.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 28.6 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 33.4 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 22.3. Liner schedules on the lane quote 27 to 60 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 79 sailings by 7 carriers (CMA CGM, HMM, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and MSC).

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 12,950 nautical miles, 3,335 more, and adds about 9.9 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.

2,159 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.

Recent freight rates for HKHKG to FRLEH start at $1,825 for a 20GP and $3,340 for a 40GP. These are spot market prices from carriers that sail the lane; your quote will also include terminal handling, documentation and any bunker surcharge. At Le Havre (FRLEH) carriers give about 7 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 63 port to port routes from Hong Kong in this directory, Le Havre is the 46th shortest. Closer destinations include Lagos (Apapa) (9,580 nm), Balboa (9,331 nm) and Algeciras (8,430 nm).