Ports & Routes
Global Port Intelligence
| Path | Records | Actual median | P25–P75 range | TS dwell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct | 200 | 38.4d | 35.7–41.9 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 38.4 days. This is based on 170 containers tracked end-to-end on this exact direct path.
Most containers arrive within 35.7–41.9 days (P25–P75 of 200 tracked records on this lane). Plan with this range, not a single number.
The shipping distance from Vancouver to Shanghai is approximately 5,171 nautical miles (9,577 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 Shanghai.
Approximately 44.3 days door-to-door. The median gate-in dwell at Vancouver is 4.0 days. Vessel sail time from Vancouver to Shanghai is 38.4 days. The median gate-out dwell at Shanghai is 1.9 days.
Container shipping from Vancouver to Shanghai spans approximately 5,171 nautical miles, equivalent to 9,577 kilometres of sea route. Our tracked dataset for this lane includes 200 records across qualifying paths. Of those, 170 containers were tracked end-to-end on the direct path (literally booked from Vancouver to Shanghai with no transshipment). The median sail time on direct service is 38.4 days. Most shipments arrive within 35.7 to 41.9 days, the P25–P75 range covering the middle half of observed transits.
The typical door-to-door figure is 44.3 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 Shanghai is 38.4 days. Median gate-out dwell at Shanghai is 1.9 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 200 leg-level observations on the direct segment. Of those, 170 were containers literally booked direct from Vancouver to Shanghai 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 38.4 days, and the P25–P75 range runs from 35.7 to 41.9 days.
For planning purposes, treat the 35.7 to 41.9 day P25–P75 range as the realistic arrival window for direct service. About half of all observed direct shipments fell within that 6.2-day spread. When committing door-to-door dates to consignees, account for an additional 4.0 days of gate-in dwell at Vancouver and 1.9 days of gate-out dwell at Shanghai on top of the chosen sail time.