Australia
United StatesSydney to Los Angeles shipping route.
6,635 nautical miles direct, about 19.8 days of steaming at 14 knots.
Sea Distance Between Ports: Sydney and Los Angeles
Port to Port Distance on the map, along real shipping lanes.
SydneySeaLos AngelesShipping time from Sydney to Los Angeles
| Route | Distance | 12 kn | 14 kn | 18 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| direct (shortest) | 6,635 nm | 23.0 d | 19.7 d | 15.4 d |
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About the Sydney to Los Angeles shipping route
Sydney to Los Angeles is a 6,635 nautical mile shipping route on a direct course, heading north east from Australia to the United States. That is 12,287 km of water against 12,054 km as the crow flies. No canals or major straits on this leg, the ship stays close to the direct line.
Pure steaming time is 19.8 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 23.0 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 15.4. 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 Sydney and Los Angeles to plan the full ocean transit time.
540 nm of the route, 8% 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 Sydney to Los Angeles move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Los Angeles (USLAX) carriers give about 4 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.
Of the 65 port to port routes from Sydney in this directory, Los Angeles is the 28th shortest. Closer destinations include Mundra (6,539 nm), Cape Town (6,523 nm) and Oakland (6,506 nm).
FAQ
How many nautical miles from Sydney to Los Angeles?
The port to port distance from Sydney to Los Angeles is 6,635 nautical miles (12,287 km), direct.
What is the shipping time from Sydney to Los Angeles?
About 19.7 days at 14 knots and 15.4 days at 18 knots of steaming, without port calls. Scheduled liner services add calls and transhipment.
How much of the route is in an emission control area?
540 nm sit inside ECA waters (North American ECA), where ships burn 0.1% sulphur fuel.
Is the return route the same?
The reverse route Los Angeles to Sydney has its own page with the same distance and route.
More port to port distance
- Sydney to Melbourne596 nm
- Sydney to
Auckland1,284 nm - Sydney to
Tanjung Priok3,932 nm - Sydney to
Manila3,938 nm - Sydney to
Singapore4,223 nm - Sydney to
Kaohsiung4,356 nm - Oakland to Los Angeles385 nm
- Seattle to Los Angeles1,214 nm
Vancouver to Los Angeles1,235 nm
Manzanillo to Los Angeles1,284 nm
Balboa to Los Angeles2,974 nm
Cartagena to Los Angeles3,301 nm
How we count: sea routes follow shipping lanes and canals, time is pure steaming at 14 knots without port calls. Engine navo-distance-time 0.3.0. See all sea distance between ports or the Shipping Routes Directory.