Netherlands
ColombiaRotterdam to Cartagena shipping route.
4,720 nautical miles direct, about 14.1 days of steaming at 14 knots.
Sea Distance Between Ports: Rotterdam and Cartagena
Port to Port Distance on the map, along real shipping lanes.
RotterdamSeaCartagenaShipping time from Rotterdam to Cartagena
| Route | Distance | 12 kn | 14 kn | 18 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| direct (shortest) | 4,720 nm | 16.4 d | 14.0 d | 10.9 d |
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About the Rotterdam to Cartagena shipping route
Ships leaving Rotterdam for Cartagena head west and cover a sea distance of 4,720 nautical miles (8,742 km), on a direct course. The straight line between the ports is 8,412 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. No canals or major straits on this leg, the ship stays close to the direct line.
At sea, the voyage lasts 16.4 days at 12 knots, 14.1 days at 14 knots and 10.9 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 Cartagena to plan the full ocean transit time.
587 nm of the route, 12% 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 Cartagena move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Cartagena (COCTG) carriers give about 10 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, Cartagena is the 19th shortest. Closer destinations include Djibouti (4,685 nm), Lagos (Apapa) (4,262 nm) and Jeddah (4,024 nm).
FAQ
How many nautical miles from Rotterdam to Cartagena?
The port to port distance from Rotterdam to Cartagena is 4,720 nautical miles (8,742 km), direct.
What is the shipping time from Rotterdam to Cartagena?
About 14.0 days at 14 knots and 10.9 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?
587 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 Cartagena 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
Balboa to Cartagena328 nm
Callao to Cartagena1,714 nm
Houston to Cartagena1,765 nm- Charleston to Cartagena1,820 nm
- Savannah to Cartagena1,829 nm
Manzanillo to Cartagena2,017 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.