Le Havre to Houston shipping route.

The shipping route from Le Havre, France to Houston, United States covers 4,869 nautical miles port to port, on a direct course. On a globe the two ports sit 7,904 km apart, so the ship sails 1.14 times the straight line distance. No canals or major straits on this leg, the ship stays close to the direct line.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 14.5 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 16.9 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 11.3. 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 Le Havre and Houston to plan the full ocean transit time.

1,208 nm of the route, 25% 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 Le Havre to Houston move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Houston (USHOU) 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 61 port to port routes from Le Havre in this directory, Houston is the 22nd shortest. Closer destinations include Balboa (4,661 nm), Cartagena (4,527 nm) and Djibouti (4,487 nm).