Shanghai to Rotterdam shipping route.

Shanghai to Rotterdam is a 10,589 nautical mile shipping route via Suez Canal, heading north west from China to the Netherlands. That is 19,610 km of water against 8,916 km as the crow flies. On the way the vessel passes Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of Malacca and Strait of Gibraltar, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

At sea, the voyage lasts 36.8 days at 12 knots, 31.5 days at 14 knots and 24.5 days at 18 knots. Liner schedules on the lane quote 30 to 52 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 142 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 Panama Canal sails 13,509 nm instead of 10,589 nm and spends roughly 8.7 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, 22% 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 CNSHA to NLRTM start at $1,800 for a 20GP and $2,735 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 Rotterdam (NLRTM) carriers give about 5 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, Rotterdam is the 56th shortest. Closer destinations include Antwerp (10,569 nm), London Gateway (10,518 nm) and Felixstowe (10,517 nm).