Qingdao to Oakland shipping route.

The shipping route from Qingdao, China to Oakland, United States covers 5,427 nautical miles port to port, on a direct course. On a globe the two ports sit 9,574 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.

Pure steaming time is 16.2 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 18.8 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 12.6. Liner schedules on the lane quote 21 to 45 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 27 sailings by 5 carriers (CMA CGM, HMM, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and MSC).

348 nm of the route, 6% of it, lies inside North American 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 CNTAO to USOAK start at $4,603 for a 20GP and $6,548 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 Oakland (USOAK) 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 64 port to port routes from Qingdao in this directory, Oakland is the 24th shortest. Closer destinations include Mundra (5,317 nm), Vancouver (5,177 nm) and Seattle (5,156 nm).