Ports & Routes
Global Port Intelligence
| Path | Records | Actual median | P25–P75 range | TS dwell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct | 249 | 29.3d | 26.9–29.9 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 29.3 days. This is based on 159 containers tracked end-to-end on this exact direct path.
Most containers arrive within 26.9–29.9 days (P25–P75 of 249 tracked records on this lane). Plan with this range, not a single number.
The shipping distance from Vancouver to Ningbo is approximately 5,216 nautical miles (9,661 km).
MSC 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 Vancouver to Ningbo.
Approximately 35.2 days door-to-door. The median gate-in dwell at Vancouver is 4.0 days. Vessel sail time from Vancouver to Ningbo is 29.3 days. The median gate-out dwell at Ningbo is 1.86 days.
Container shipping from Vancouver to Ningbo spans approximately 5,216 nautical miles, equivalent to 9,661 kilometres of sea route. Our tracked dataset for this lane includes 249 records across qualifying paths. Of those, 159 containers were tracked end-to-end on the direct path (literally booked from Vancouver to Ningbo with no transshipment). The median sail time on direct service is 29.3 days. Most shipments arrive within 26.9 to 29.9 days, the P25–P75 range covering the middle half of observed transits.
The typical door-to-door figure is 35.2 days. Median gate-in dwell at Vancouver is 4.0 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 Vancouver to Ningbo is 29.3 days. Median gate-out dwell at Ningbo is 1.86 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 249 leg-level observations on the direct segment. Of those, 159 were containers literally booked direct from Vancouver to Ningbo and tracked end-to-end on this exact path. MSC operates the dominant tracked direct service. Containers carried by COSCO and Maersk also traversed this corridor without an intermediate transshipment, generally as sub-segments of longer journeys. On the direct segment, the median sail time is 29.3 days, and the P25–P75 range runs from 26.9 to 29.9 days.
For planning purposes, treat the 26.9 to 29.9 day P25–P75 range as the realistic arrival window for direct service. About half of all observed direct shipments fell within that 3.0-day spread. When committing door-to-door dates to consignees, account for an additional 4.0 days of gate-in dwell at Vancouver and 1.86 days of gate-out dwell at Ningbo on top of the chosen sail time.