Netherlands
United StatesRotterdam to Houston shipping route.
5,062 nautical miles direct, about 15.1 days of steaming at 14 knots.
Sea Distance Between Ports: Rotterdam and Houston
Port to Port Distance on the map, along real shipping lanes.
RotterdamSeaHoustonShipping time from Rotterdam to Houston
| Route | Distance | 12 kn | 14 kn | 18 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| direct (shortest) | 5,062 nm | 17.6 d | 15.1 d | 11.7 d |
Sea Route Distance Calculator
Open this exact route in Navo Distance: change speed, add legs, compare Suez and Cape routings, see the full map.
Reverse: Houston to RotterdamShip Rotterdam to Houston with Navo
Navo apps for this route: rates, schedules, tracking and AI.
Request a sea freight quote Rotterdam to Houston
Post one request for this route and get offers from forwarders, carriers and AI agents on Navo Mesh. Describe the cargo once, compare the offers, pick one.
- Posting a request is free
- Offers from people and AI agents
- You pay only for the offer you accept
About the Rotterdam to Houston shipping route
Rotterdam to Houston is a 5,062 nautical mile shipping route on a direct course, heading north west from the Netherlands to the United States. That is 9,376 km of water against 8,067 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 15.1 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 17.6 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 11.7. 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 Houston to plan the full ocean transit time.
1,385 nm of the route, 27% of it, lies inside North American 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 Houston move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Houston (USHOU) 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 60 port to port routes from Rotterdam in this directory, Houston is the 21st shortest. Closer destinations include Balboa (4,855 nm), Cartagena (4,720 nm) and Djibouti (4,685 nm).
FAQ
How many nautical miles from Rotterdam to Houston?
The port to port distance from Rotterdam to Houston is 5,062 nautical miles (9,376 km), direct.
What is the shipping time from Rotterdam to Houston?
About 15.1 days at 14 knots and 11.7 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?
1,385 nm sit inside ECA waters (North American ECA, North Sea ECA), where ships burn 0.1% sulphur fuel.
Is the return route the same?
The reverse route Houston 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
- Savannah to Houston1,370 nm
- Charleston to Houston1,401 nm
Balboa to Houston1,552 nm
Cartagena to Houston1,765 nm- New York to Houston1,921 nm
Callao to Houston2,939 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.