Le Havre to Qingdao shipping route.

The shipping route from Le Havre, France to Qingdao, China covers 10,655 nautical miles port to port, via Suez Canal. On a globe the two ports sit 8,836 km apart, so the ship sails 2.23 times the straight line distance. On the way the vessel passes Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of Malacca and Strait of Gibraltar, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

Pure steaming time is 31.7 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 37.0 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 24.7. Liner schedules on the lane quote 5 to 71 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 57 sailings by 8 carriers (CMA CGM, Evergreen, HMM, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk).

The shortest route goes through the Red Sea. Since attacks on shipping began there in late 2023, many carriers send ships via Panama Canal instead. That route is 13,327 nautical miles, 2,672 more, and adds about 7.9 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, 20% 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.

Recent freight rates for FRLEH to CNTAO start at $1,800 for a 20GP and $2,635 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 Qingdao (CNTAO) carriers give about 6 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, Qingdao is the 53rd shortest. Closer destinations include Shanghai (10,390 nm), Ningbo (10,277 nm) and Kaohsiung (9,852 nm).