Karachi to Manzanillo shipping route.

The shipping route from Karachi, Pakistan to Manzanillo, Mexico covers 10,879 nautical miles port to port, via Suez Canal. On a globe the two ports sit 15,036 km apart, so the ship sails 1.34 times the straight line distance. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar, Bab-el-Mandeb, Panama Canal and Suez Canal, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

At sea, the voyage lasts 37.8 days at 12 knots, 32.4 days at 14 knots and 25.2 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 Manzanillo 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 Strait of Malacca instead. That route is 11,983 nautical miles, 1,104 more, and adds about 3.3 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.

2,083 nm of the route, 19% of it, lies inside US Caribbean 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 Manzanillo move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Manzanillo (MXZLO) 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, Manzanillo is the 64th shortest. Closer destinations include Los Angeles (10,770 nm), Callao (10,576 nm) and Oakland (10,436 nm).