Seattle to Buenos Aires shipping route.

Ships leaving Seattle for Buenos Aires head south east and cover a sea distance of 8,658 nautical miles (16,035 km), via Strait of Magellan. The straight line between the ports is 11,132 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Magellan.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 25.8 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 30.1 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 20.0. 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 Seattle and Buenos Aires to plan the full ocean transit time.

1,187 nm of the route, 14% 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.

Container freight rates on Seattle to Buenos Aires move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Buenos Aires (ARBUE) 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 64 port to port routes from Seattle in this directory, Buenos Aires is the 35th shortest. Closer destinations include Algeciras (8,578 nm), Montreal (7,521 nm) and Tanjung Priok (7,483 nm).