Qingdao to Seattle shipping route.

Qingdao to Seattle is a 5,156 nautical mile shipping route on a direct course, heading north east from China to the United States. That is 9,548 km of water against 8,823 km as the crow flies. No canals or major straits on this leg, the ship stays close to the direct line.

Pure steaming time is 15.3 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 17.9 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 11.9. Liner schedules on the lane quote 13 to 28 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 50 sailings by 5 carriers (CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, MSC and OOCL).

548 nm of the route, 11% 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 USSEA start at $5,791 for a 20GP and $8,046 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 Seattle (USSEA) carriers give about 3.94 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, Seattle is the 21st shortest. Closer destinations include Nhava Sheva (4,983 nm), Sydney (4,899 nm) and Colombo (4,077 nm).