Hong Kong to Seattle shipping route.

Hong Kong to Seattle is a 5,821 nautical mile shipping route on a direct course, heading north east from Hong Kong to the United States. That is 10,781 km of water against 10,417 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 17.3 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 20.2 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 13.5. Liner schedules on the lane quote 21 to 28 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 9 sailings by 2 carriers (CMA CGM and MSC).

548 nm of the route, 9% 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 USSEA start at $5,791 for a 20GP and $8,296 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 Seattle (USSEA) carriers give about 3.94 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, Seattle is the 28th shortest. Closer destinations include Mombasa (5,558 nm), Auckland (5,245 nm) and Djibouti (5,210 nm).