Vancouver to Cartagena shipping route.

The shipping route from Vancouver, Canada to Cartagena, Colombia covers 4,537 nautical miles port to port, via Panama Canal. On a globe the two ports sit 6,146 km apart, so the ship sails 1.37 times the straight line distance. On the way the vessel passes Panama Canal, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

Pure steaming time is 13.5 days at 14 knots. A carrier that slow steams at 12 knots to save fuel needs 15.8 days, and a fast 18 knot string about 10.5. 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 Vancouver and Cartagena to plan the full ocean transit time.

1,288 nm of the route, 28% 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 Vancouver to Cartagena move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Cartagena (COCTG) carriers give about 10 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 Vancouver in this directory, Cartagena is the 7th shortest. Closer destinations include Tokyo (4,332 nm), Yokohama (4,321 nm) and Balboa (4,209 nm).