Seattle to Mombasa shipping route.

The shipping route from Seattle, United States to Mombasa, Kenya covers 11,291 nautical miles port to port, via Strait of Malacca. On a globe the two ports sit 14,877 km apart, so the ship sails 1.41 times the straight line distance. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Malacca.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 33.6 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 39.2 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 26.1. 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 Mombasa to plan the full ocean transit time.

The next option is via Sunda Strait, 11,614 nautical miles, 323 nm longer than the main route. Carriers pick it when Sunda Strait is congested or closed.

548 nm of the route, 5% 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 Mombasa move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one.

Of the 64 port to port routes from Seattle in this directory, Mombasa is the 63rd shortest. Closer destinations include Jeddah (11,198 nm), Djibouti (10,943 nm) and Cape Town (10,771 nm).