Ports & Routes
Global Port Intelligence
| Path | Records | Actual median | P25–P75 range | TS dwell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct | 347 | 28.5d | 27.5–31.0 d | — |
All values are actuals from tracked container records. Paths flagged low n have fewer than 20 records and should be read as directional.
The median transit time is 28.5 days. This is based on 273 containers tracked end-to-end on this exact direct path.
Most containers arrive within 27.5–31.0 days (P25–P75 of 347 tracked records on this lane). Plan with this range, not a single number.
The shipping distance from Rotterdam to Houston is approximately 5,011 nautical miles (9,280 km).
Maersk line operates direct service on this lane in our tracked dataset.
No transshipment paths are present in the tracked dataset for this lane — containers observed move directly from Rotterdam to Houston.
Approximately 36.0 days door-to-door. The median gate-in dwell at Rotterdam is 4.13 days. Vessel sail time from Rotterdam to Houston is 28.5 days. The median gate-out dwell at Houston is 3.4 days.
Container shipping from Rotterdam to Houston spans approximately 5,011 nautical miles, equivalent to 9,280 kilometres of sea route. Our tracked dataset for this lane includes 347 records across qualifying paths. Of those, 273 containers were tracked end-to-end on the direct path (literally booked from Rotterdam to Houston with no transshipment). The median sail time on direct service is 28.5 days. Most shipments arrive within 27.5 to 31.0 days, the P25–P75 range covering the middle half of observed transits.
The typical door-to-door figure is 36.0 days. Median gate-in dwell at Rotterdam is 4.13 days, representing the time a container spends at the origin terminal between arrival at the gate and loading onto the vessel. Vessel sail time from Rotterdam to Houston is 28.5 days. Median gate-out dwell at Houston is 3.4 days, covering discharge and the time before pickup at the destination terminal.
Direct service — meaning no transshipment between origin and destination — is the dominant routing on this corridor. It is supported by 347 leg-level observations on the direct segment. Of those, 273 were containers literally booked direct from Rotterdam to Houston and tracked end-to-end on this exact path. Maersk operates the dominant tracked direct service. Containers carried by MSC and COSCO also traversed this corridor without an intermediate transshipment, generally as sub-segments of longer journeys. On the direct segment, the median sail time is 28.5 days, and the P25–P75 range runs from 27.5 to 31.0 days.
For planning purposes, treat the 27.5 to 31.0 day P25–P75 range as the realistic arrival window for direct service. About half of all observed direct shipments fell within that 3.5-day spread. When committing door-to-door dates to consignees, account for an additional 4.13 days of gate-in dwell at Rotterdam and 3.4 days of gate-out dwell at Houston on top of the chosen sail time.