Shanghai to Barcelona shipping route.

The shipping route from Shanghai, China to Barcelona, Spain covers 8,871 nautical miles port to port, via Suez Canal. On a globe the two ports sit 9,814 km apart, so the ship sails 1.67 times the straight line distance. On the way the vessel passes Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb and Strait of Malacca, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

At sea, the voyage lasts 30.8 days at 12 knots, 26.4 days at 14 knots and 20.5 days at 18 knots. Liner schedules on the lane quote 30 to 53 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 59 sailings by 8 carriers (CMA CGM, Evergreen, HMM, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk).

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Cape of Good Hope sails 13,359 nm instead of 8,871 nm and spends roughly 13.4 extra days at sea. Ask your forwarder which routing the carrier uses: the booking price and the arrival date both depend on it.

1,591 nm of the route, 18% of it, lies inside 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 CNSHA to ESBCN start at $2,650 for a 20GP and $3,600 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 Barcelona (ESBCN) carriers give about 6 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 Shanghai in this directory, Barcelona is the 43rd shortest. Closer destinations include Genoa (8,719 nm), Balboa (8,654 nm) and Marsaxlokk (8,232 nm).