Netherlands
PanamaRotterdam to Balboa shipping route.
4,855 nautical miles via Panama Canal, about 14.5 days of steaming at 14 knots.
Sea Distance Between Ports: Rotterdam and Balboa
Port to Port Distance on the map, along real shipping lanes.
RotterdamPanama CanalBalboaShipping time from Rotterdam to Balboa
| Route | Distance | 12 kn | 14 kn | 18 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| via Panama Canal (shortest) | 4,855 nm | 16.9 d | 14.4 d | 11.2 d |
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About the Rotterdam to Balboa shipping route
Ships leaving Rotterdam for Balboa head west and cover a sea distance of 4,855 nautical miles (8,991 km), via Panama Canal. The straight line between the ports is 8,815 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Panama Canal, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.
At sea, the voyage lasts 16.9 days at 12 knots, 14.5 days at 14 knots and 11.2 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 Rotterdam and Balboa to plan the full ocean transit time.
498 nm of the route, 10% of it, lies inside US Caribbean Sea ECA and 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 Rotterdam to Balboa move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Balboa (PABLB) 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 60 port to port routes from Rotterdam in this directory, Balboa is the 20th shortest. Closer destinations include Cartagena (4,720 nm), Djibouti (4,685 nm) and Lagos (Apapa) (4,262 nm).
FAQ
How many nautical miles from Rotterdam to Balboa?
The port to port distance from Rotterdam to Balboa is 4,855 nautical miles (8,991 km), via Panama Canal. The route passes Panama Canal.
What is the shipping time from Rotterdam to Balboa?
About 14.4 days at 14 knots and 11.2 days at 18 knots of steaming, without port calls. Scheduled liner services add calls and transhipment.
How much of the route is in an emission control area?
498 nm sit inside ECA waters (US Caribbean Sea ECA, North Sea ECA), where ships burn 0.1% sulphur fuel.
Is the return route the same?
The reverse route Balboa to Rotterdam has its own page with the same distance and route.
More port to port distance
- Rotterdam to
Hamburg310 nm - Rotterdam to
Gothenburg489 nm - Rotterdam to
Gdansk885 nm - Rotterdam to
Algeciras1,405 nm - Rotterdam to Valencia1,789 nm
- Rotterdam to Barcelona1,928 nm
Cartagena to Balboa328 nm
Callao to Balboa1,386 nm
Houston to Balboa1,552 nm- Charleston to Balboa1,608 nm
- Savannah to Balboa1,617 nm
Manzanillo to Balboa1,690 nm
How we count: sea routes follow shipping lanes and canals, time is pure steaming at 14 knots without port calls. Engine navo-distance-time 0.3.0. See all sea distance between ports or the Shipping Routes Directory.