Hong Kong to Los Angeles shipping route.

Hong Kong to Los Angeles is a 6,427 nautical mile shipping route on a direct course, heading north east from Hong Kong to the United States. That is 11,902 km of water against 11,673 km as the crow flies. No canals or major straits on this leg, the ship stays close to the direct line.

Pure steaming time is 19.1 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 22.3 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 14.9. Liner schedules on the lane quote 12 to 38 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 42 sailings by 5 carriers (CMA CGM, HMM, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and ZIM).

683 nm of the route, 11% of it, lies inside North American 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 USLAX start at $4,851 for a 20GP and $7,015 for a 40GP ($7,070 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 Los Angeles (USLAX) carriers give about 4 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, Los Angeles is the 33rd shortest. Closer destinations include Durban (6,270 nm), Oakland (6,092 nm) and Vancouver (5,843 nm).