Rotterdam to Kaohsiung shipping route.

Ships leaving Rotterdam for Kaohsiung head north east and cover a sea distance of 10,050 nautical miles (18,613 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 9,658 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar, Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of Malacca and Suez Canal, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 29.9 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 34.9 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 23.3. Liner schedules on the lane quote 34 to 62 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 65 sailings by 3 carriers (CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and ONE).

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Cape of Good Hope sails 13,343 nm instead of 10,050 nm and spends roughly 9.8 extra days at sea. Ask your forwarder which routing the carrier uses: the booking price and the arrival date both depend on it.

2,341 nm of the route, 23% of it, lies inside North Sea ECA and Mediterranean 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.

Recent freight rates for NLRTM to TWKHH start at $2,189 for a 20GP and $3,326 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 Kaohsiung (TWKHH) 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, Kaohsiung is the 49th shortest. Closer destinations include Xiamen (10,039 nm), Yantian (9,835 nm) and Hong Kong (9,814 nm).