Marsaxlokk to Xiamen shipping route.

The shipping route from Marsaxlokk, Malta to Xiamen, China covers 7,682 nautical miles port to port, via Suez Canal. On a globe the two ports sit 9,567 km apart, so the ship sails 1.49 times the straight line distance. On the way the vessel passes Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb and Strait of Malacca, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

At sea, the voyage lasts 26.7 days at 12 knots, 22.9 days at 14 knots and 17.8 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 Marsaxlokk and Xiamen to plan the full ocean transit time.

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Cape of Good Hope sails 13,265 nm instead of 7,682 nm and spends roughly 16.6 extra days at sea. Ask your forwarder which routing the carrier uses: the booking price and the arrival date both depend on it.

952 nm of the route, 12% of it, lies inside 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 Marsaxlokk to Xiamen move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Xiamen (CNXMN) 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 65 port to port routes from Marsaxlokk in this directory, Xiamen is the 49th shortest. Closer destinations include Yantian (7,478 nm), Hong Kong (7,457 nm) and Manila (7,381 nm).