Houston to Bremerhaven shipping route.

Houston to Bremerhaven is a 5,203 nautical mile shipping route on a direct course, heading north east from the United States to Germany. That is 9,637 km of water against 8,230 km as the crow flies. No canals or major straits on this leg, the ship stays close to the direct line.

At sea, the voyage lasts 18.1 days at 12 knots, 15.5 days at 14 knots and 12.0 days at 18 knots. 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 Houston and Bremerhaven to plan the full ocean transit time.

3,366 nm of the route, 65% of it, lies inside North American ECA and North 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 Houston to Bremerhaven move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Bremerhaven (DEBRV) carriers give about 3.83 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 65 port to port routes from Houston in this directory, Bremerhaven is the 19th shortest. Closer destinations include Valencia (5,174 nm), Gothenburg (5,169 nm) and Rotterdam (5,062 nm).