Ports & Routes
About Ports & Routes

Shipping answers measured from what actually sailed

Carriers publish schedules. We publish what happened: recorded voyages, real transit times, actual port calls and container dwell — so the number you plan around is the number the trade actually runs at.

portsandroutes.com — Shanghai → Rotterdam
The Ports and Routes dashboard showing the Shanghai to Rotterdam corridor
431Port profiles
2,400+Trade lanes drawn
DailyData updates
2022→Voyage history

Two records, one answer

A ship and a container live different lives. We measure both — and join them.

Vessel record

What the ships did

Recorded vessel positions paired into voyages: when a ship left, when it arrived, the route it actually sailed, every port it called on the way and the liner service it was deployed on. This is where transit times, sea distances, speed made good and service rotations come from.

Container record

What the boxes did

Container tracking data from the carriers themselves: when a box gated in at the origin terminal, how long it waited at a transshipment hub, when it was picked up at destination. This is where terminal dwell and true gate-to-gate times come from — the part no vessel can show you.

One lane, start to finish

Scroll through a real lookup — Shanghai → Rotterdam, exactly as the dashboard answers it today. Every number below is live on that page right now.

Recorded voyages812Sailings on this laneMap shows the top 5 services
Vessels338Ships · last 18 months
Ports called3Common stopsYantian 62% · Singapore 51% · Tanjung Pelepas 28%
Distance14,645Nautical miles, average
Median transit48.6Days port to port
Speed made good12.6Knots at sea
Routings · 13 available
DirectFastest
48.6d transit46sailings/mo812voyages
via Felixstowe
60.6d transit19sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Xiamen
61.6d transit9sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Sines
62.2d transit6sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Tanjung Pelepas
63.4d transit19sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Yantian
63.6d transit36sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Hong Kong
66.0d transit4sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Algeciras
66.2d transit10sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Hamburg
66.9d transit32sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Bremerhaven
67.6d transit10sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Vung Tau
68.3d transit8sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Singapore
69.3d transit42sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
Shown, but not ranked with the restFaster on paper — the record behind them is too thin or the hub wait was never measured on this lane.
via Zeebrugge
70.3d transit11sailings/mo
Legs measured separately · hub wait estimated, not measured here
Lines · Direct
One sailing end to end — carriers below run it.
Showing all carriersSelect a service below to filter the map.
Carriers on this routing
Maersk44.6 d median·124 voyages▴
Services4 with 3+ sailings · 10 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
AE138.5 d35–59 d40 sailingsStrong
AE345.7 d37–57 d56 sailingsStrong
AE546.0 d34–56 d11 sailingsModerate
AE249.4 d44–50 d11 sailingsModerate
Mediterranean Shipping Company51.5 d median·118 voyages▴
Services6 with 3+ sailings · 16 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
LION50.0 d41–58 d42 sailingsStrong
SWAN51.1 d43–60 d27 sailingsStrong
BRITANNIA52.9 d48–57 d25 sailingsStrong
Evergreen Line46.3 d median·116 voyages▴
Services2 with 3+ sailings · 7 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
China-Europe-Mediterranean Service(CEM)43.4 d9–51 d67 sailingsStrong
China-Europe Shuttle Service(CES)52.3 d38–60 d42 sailingsStrong
Hapag-Lloyd48.3 d median·87 voyages▴
Services5 with 3+ sailings
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
AE138.6 d37–49 d25 sailingsStrong
AE249.0 d37–57 d53 sailingsStrong
Cosco Shipping Lines42.2 d median·86 voyages▴
Services4 with 3+ sailings · 7 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
AEU339.3 d34–58 d49 sailingsStrong
AEU747.4 d38–58 d25 sailingsStrong
CMA CGM44.3 d median·69 voyages▴
Services2 with 3+ sailings · 5 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
French Asia Line 344.2 d38–59 d62 sailingsStrong
Ocean Network Express51.2 d median·52 voyages▴
Services3 with 3+ sailings
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
FE452.7 d39–60 d40 sailingsStrong
HMM53.0 d median·32 voyages▴
Services2 with 3+ sailings · 3 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
FE351.7 d44–60 d23 sailingsModerate
Orient Overseas Container Line40.6 d median·15 voyages▴
Services2 with 3+ sailings
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
AEU339.6 d35–50 d10 sailingsModerate
Yang Ming48.9 d median·7 voyagesThin▴
Services1 with 3+ sailings · 4 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
APL55.8 d median·4 voyagesThin▾
Safetrans Line33.4 d median·1 voyageThin▾
Gate to gate 55.1d Gate records + recorded voyages
1Gate in · Shanghai
3.5days
At the terminal before loading
12,463 records
2At sea · Shanghai → Rotterdam
48.6days
Route-finder typical
3Gate out · Rotterdam
3.0days
After discharge, before pickup
19,837 records
Vessel positions over time Sailings over time
Dec 5, 2025 – Jun 11, 2026 · 275 voyages
Feb '25MayAugNovFeb '26May

The dashboard’s own panes · captured 8 Sep 2026

1Ask a lane

Type two ports. Get the recorded truth.

Pick Shanghai and Rotterdam and the map draws the amber corridor — not a schedule line, but every recorded sailing between the two ports, braided together. Port dots along it are the calls those ships actually made.

2The headline numbers

Measured, not promised.

The cards answer the first questions a shipper asks: how many sailings back this number, how many ships, the median duration of the sea passage and the distance actually sailed. Every figure here is a median or a count over the corridor you are looking at — nothing is quoted from a brochure.

Recorded voyages812Sailings on this laneMap shows the top 5 services
Vessels338Ships · last 18 months
Ports called3Common stopsYantian 62% · Singapore 51% · Tanjung Pelepas 28%
Distance14,645Nautical miles, average
Median transit48.6Days port to port
Speed made good12.6Knots at sea
3Compare routings

Direct, or through a hub — with the evidence beside each.

The routings panel ranks every way the trade actually moves the box: the direct service against relays via Felixstowe, Yantian or Singapore. Relays say “legs measured separately”, because nothing sails a relay end to end — we show the grain honestly instead of inventing a journey count.

Routings · 13 available
DirectFastest
48.6d transit46sailings/mo812voyages
via Felixstowe
60.6d transit19sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Xiamen
61.6d transit9sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Sines
62.2d transit6sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Tanjung Pelepas
63.4d transit19sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Yantian
63.6d transit36sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Hong Kong
66.0d transit4sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Algeciras
66.2d transit10sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Hamburg
66.9d transit32sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Bremerhaven
67.6d transit10sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Vung Tau
68.3d transit8sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
via Singapore
69.3d transit42sailings/mo
Legs measured separately
Shown, but not ranked with the restFaster on paper — the record behind them is too thin or the hub wait was never measured on this lane.
via Zeebrugge
70.3d transit11sailings/mo
Legs measured separately · hub wait estimated, not measured here
4See who sails it

Carriers and named services, each with its own median.

Expand a carrier and the lane splits into its real services — AE1, AE2, French Asia Line 3 — each with its own transit median, spread and sailing count. Pick one and every number on the page narrows to that service.

Lines · Direct
One sailing end to end — carriers below run it.
Showing all carriersSelect a service below to filter the map.
Carriers on this routing
Maersk44.6 d median·124 voyages▴
Services4 with 3+ sailings · 10 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
AE138.5 d35–59 d40 sailingsStrong
AE345.7 d37–57 d56 sailingsStrong
AE546.0 d34–56 d11 sailingsModerate
AE249.4 d44–50 d11 sailingsModerate
Mediterranean Shipping Company51.5 d median·118 voyages▴
Services6 with 3+ sailings · 16 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
LION50.0 d41–58 d42 sailingsStrong
SWAN51.1 d43–60 d27 sailingsStrong
BRITANNIA52.9 d48–57 d25 sailingsStrong
Evergreen Line46.3 d median·116 voyages▴
Services2 with 3+ sailings · 7 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
China-Europe-Mediterranean Service(CEM)43.4 d9–51 d67 sailingsStrong
China-Europe Shuttle Service(CES)52.3 d38–60 d42 sailingsStrong
Hapag-Lloyd48.3 d median·87 voyages▴
Services5 with 3+ sailings
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
AE138.6 d37–49 d25 sailingsStrong
AE249.0 d37–57 d53 sailingsStrong
Cosco Shipping Lines42.2 d median·86 voyages▴
Services4 with 3+ sailings · 7 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
AEU339.3 d34–58 d49 sailingsStrong
AEU747.4 d38–58 d25 sailingsStrong
CMA CGM44.3 d median·69 voyages▴
Services2 with 3+ sailings · 5 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
French Asia Line 344.2 d38–59 d62 sailingsStrong
Ocean Network Express51.2 d median·52 voyages▴
Services3 with 3+ sailings
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
FE452.7 d39–60 d40 sailingsStrong
HMM53.0 d median·32 voyages▴
Services2 with 3+ sailings · 3 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
FE351.7 d44–60 d23 sailingsModerate
Orient Overseas Container Line40.6 d median·15 voyages▴
Services2 with 3+ sailings
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
AEU339.6 d35–50 d10 sailingsModerate
Yang Ming48.9 d median·7 voyagesThin▴
Services1 with 3+ sailings · 4 recorded
ServiceJourney time (days)DaysSailingsEvidence
APL55.8 d median·4 voyagesThin▾
Safetrans Line33.4 d median·1 voyageThin▾
5From ship time to box time

Where container tracking joins the vessel record.

A ship crosses in 48.6 days — but your container doesn’t travel ship-to-ship. Carrier gate records add what the vessel can’t see: 3.5 days at the origin terminal before loading and 3.0 days at destination before pickup. Gate to gate: 55.1 days — each stage measured separately and added, a typical chain rather than one measured door-to-door median. That join is the product.

Gate to gate 55.1d Gate records + recorded voyages
1Gate in · Shanghai
3.5days
At the terminal before loading
12,463 records
2At sea · Shanghai → Rotterdam
48.6days
Route-finder typical
3Gate out · Rotterdam
3.0days
After discharge, before pickup
19,837 records
6Take it with you

Brush a window. Export the workbook. Check our maths.

Narrow the timeline to any period and the whole page recomputes. Then export: an Excel workbook of exactly what you saw, raw sailing records included, with a “How derived” sheet that reproduces every figure from the rows in your hands. The methodology page states every rule in the open.

Vessel positions over time Sailings over time
Dec 5, 2025 – Jun 11, 2026 · 275 voyages
Feb '25MayAugNovFeb '26May

What you get

One dashboard, four ways in — every figure traceable to the record behind it.

Route intelligence

Measured transit times between any two ports — median, spread, per carrier and per service — with direct and transshipment routings compared side by side.

Port profiles

Terminals, vessel calls, connections, import and export dwell — who calls there, how long ships stay, and where cargo moves next.

Liner services

Every service we observe, rebuilt from its own calls: rotation, fleet, vessel sizes, round-trip time and whether it is still running.

Data exports

Excel workbooks of exactly what the page shows — raw sailing records included, with a “How derived” sheet that lets you reproduce every figure from the rows in the same file.

Who it’s for

Freight forwarders & NVOCCs

Quote transit times you can defend, pick the routing with the evidence beside it, and show clients the record instead of the brochure.

Shippers & BCOs

Plan inventory on measured door-to-door times — including the terminal days your carrier’s schedule never mentions.

Analysts & consultants

Lane benchmarks, hub dwell, service reliability — exportable, reproducible, and documented down to the formula.

Start somewhere real

A few of the busiest pages on the site — every one live now.

Popular lanes

Shanghai → Rotterdam→ Shanghai → Los Angeles→ Rotterdam → New York→ Singapore → Rotterdam→ Busan → Long Beach→ Ningbo → Hamburg→ Shanghai → Singapore→ Antwerp → New York→

Major ports

Shanghai→ Rotterdam→ Singapore→ Busan→ Antwerp→ Los Angeles→

Every number is reproducible

The methodology page states how each figure on every page is derived — the population, the statistic, the window and the thresholds. No black boxes.

Read the methodology

Common questions

Where does the data come from?
Two records, joined: recorded vessel positions paired into voyages (departures, arrivals, routes, port calls), and container tracking data from the carriers themselves (gate-in, transshipment dwell, gate-out). Every figure on the site names which record it was measured on.
How fresh is it?
The vessel record updates daily; the carrier container feed arrives daily and trails real time by roughly two months, because a box’s events keep completing weeks after the voyage starts. The footer of each page and the stats on this page carry the current build date.
Why do your numbers differ from carrier schedules?
Schedules are promises; we publish medians and spreads of what actually sailed. On most deep-sea lanes the measured median runs days over the brochure transit — that gap is exactly what the data is for.
Can I check a figure myself?
Yes — twice over. The methodology page states how every number is derived, and each Excel export ships with a “How derived” sheet naming the sheet and formula inside that same file that reproduces each figure.

See a lane you know

Pick a route you ship on and compare our measured numbers with the schedule you were quoted. The first lookup is free — no account needed.

Try Shanghai → Rotterdam See pricing

Questions, data requests or partnerships — [email protected]