Karachi to Le Havre shipping route.

Karachi to Le Havre is a 6,006 nautical mile shipping route via Suez Canal, heading north west from Pakistan to France. That is 11,123 km of water against 6,284 km as the crow flies. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar, Bab-el-Mandeb and Suez Canal, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

At sea, the voyage lasts 20.9 days at 12 knots, 17.9 days at 14 knots and 13.9 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 Karachi and Le Havre to plan the full ocean transit time.

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 10,789 nautical miles, 4,783 more, and adds about 14.2 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, 36% 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 Karachi to Le Havre move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. 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 64 port to port routes from Karachi in this directory, Le Havre is the 37th shortest. Closer destinations include Tokyo (5,945 nm), Yokohama (5,934 nm) and Dalian (5,615 nm).