London Gateway to Buenos Aires shipping route.

The shipping route from London Gateway, United Kingdom to Buenos Aires, Argentina covers 6,317 nautical miles port to port, on a direct course. On a globe the two ports sit 11,157 km apart, so the ship sails 1.05 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 18.8 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 21.9 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 14.6. 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 London Gateway and Buenos Aires to plan the full ocean transit time.

352 nm of the route, 6% of it, lies inside 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 London Gateway to Buenos Aires move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Buenos Aires (ARBUE) 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 61 port to port routes from London Gateway in this directory, Buenos Aires is the 31st shortest. Closer destinations include Nhava Sheva (6,308 nm), Mundra (6,294 nm) and Cape Town (6,247 nm).