Shanghai to Piraeus shipping route.

Shanghai to Piraeus is a 7,877 nautical mile shipping route via Suez Canal, heading north west from China to Greece. That is 14,588 km of water against 8,540 km as the crow flies. 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.

Pure steaming time is 23.4 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 27.3 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 18.2. Liner schedules on the lane quote 32 to 60 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 74 sailings by 10 carriers (CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, HMM and Hapag-Lloyd).

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Cape of Good Hope sails 14,263 nm instead of 7,877 nm and spends roughly 19.0 extra days at sea. Ask your forwarder which routing the carrier uses: the booking price and the arrival date both depend on it.

597 nm of the route, 8% 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 GRPIR start at $2,820 for a 20GP and $4,350 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 Piraeus (GRPIR) carriers give about 6.75 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, Piraeus is the 39th shortest. Closer destinations include Cape Town (7,752 nm), Mersin (7,651 nm) and Port Said (7,280 nm).