Xiamen to Barcelona shipping route.

Ships leaving Xiamen for Barcelona head north west and cover a sea distance of 8,321 nautical miles (15,411 km), via Suez Canal. The straight line between the ports is 10,169 km; coastlines and shipping lanes add the rest. 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.

Shipping time depends on speed. At 14 knots, a common container ship service speed, the passage takes 24.8 days at sea. Slow steaming at 12 knots stretches it to 28.9 days, while 18 knots brings it down to 19.3. Liner schedules on the lane quote 34 to 59 days port to port, because the services call at other ports and some transship. Over the last 30 days we counted 33 sailings by 5 carriers (CMA CGM, Evergreen, Maersk, ONE and OOCL).

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Cape of Good Hope sails 12,809 nm instead of 8,321 nm and spends roughly 13.3 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, 19% 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 CNXMN 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 62 port to port routes from Xiamen in this directory, Barcelona is the 40th shortest. Closer destinations include Genoa (8,170 nm), Marsaxlokk (7,682 nm) and Manzanillo (7,392 nm).