Asia – Europe trade lane
The Asia–Europe lane is the world’s largest container trade by volume, linking Chinese and South Asian export hubs to the North European gateways of Hamburg, Antwerp and the Baltic.
Main routes on the Asia – Europe lane
The 225 port-to-port routes of this lane, ranked by carrier coverage at both ends. Each links to the full distance page with route map and speed table.
| Route | Distance |
|---|---|
| Shanghai Hamburg | 10,842 nm |
| Shanghai Antwerpen | 10,569 nm |
| Qingdao Hamburg | 11,106 nm |
| Qingdao Antwerpen | 10,834 nm |
| Ningbo Hamburg | 10,728 nm |
| Ningbo Antwerpen | 10,456 nm |
| Shanghai Felixstowe | 10,517 nm |
| Xiamen Hamburg | 10,292 nm |
| Shanghai Bremerhaven | 10,796 nm |
| Xingang Hamburg | 11,397 nm |
| Xiamen Antwerpen | 10,020 nm |
| Shanghai Le Havre | 10,390 nm |
| Yantian Hamburg | 10,088 nm |
| Xingang Antwerpen | 11,124 nm |
| Qingdao Felixstowe | 10,781 nm |
| Colombo Hamburg | 7,087 nm |
| Yantian Antwerpen | 9,816 nm |
| Colombo Antwerpen | 6,814 nm |
| Ningbo Felixstowe | 10,403 nm |
| Dalian Hamburg | 11,249 nm |
Understanding the Asia – Europe lane
Westbound flows dominate the lane: consumer goods, electronics and machinery from Asia feed European distribution networks, while the backhaul carries chemicals, food products and recyclables. Virtually every service is routed through the Strait of Malacca, Bab-el-Mandeb, the Suez Canal and Gibraltar, which makes the lane highly sensitive to Red Sea security and Suez capacity: when carriers divert around the Cape of Good Hope, transit times stretch by roughly ten days and effective capacity shrinks across the entire trade.
Main ports on this lane
Safecube gives you door-to-door visibility on container shipments, with live vessel positions and predictive ETAs on every trade lane.
Frequently asked questions
How many shipping routes does the Asia – Europe lane cover?
Seadex covers 225 port-to-port routes on the Asia – Europe lane, with sea distances ranging from 6,006 to 11,972 nautical miles.
How long is transit on the Asia – Europe lane?
The average route on the Asia – Europe lane is 9,333 nautical miles, which at typical commercial speeds of 14–18 knots means roughly 21.6 to 27.8 days of sailing, excluding port calls.
Which chokepoints does the Asia – Europe lane depend on?
Routes on the Asia – Europe lane transit the following chokepoints: Suez Canal, Strait of Gibraltar, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, Strait of Malacca.