Question 1

How long does it take to ship a container from South Africa to China by sea?

Accepted Answer

The shortest shipping time by sea between South Africa and China is 21 days. Ships depart from Cape Town (ZACPT) and arrive at Xiamen (CNXMG) with scheduled departures 1-2 times a week.

Question 2

How regularly do container ships travel between South Africa and China?

Accepted Answer

There are scheduled container ships that depart 1-2 times a week from Cape Town (ZACPT) and arrive into Xiamen (CNXMG) around 21 days later. These services are operated by MSC and MSC.

Question 3

How long does it take to send cargo from South Africa to China by air freight?

Accepted Answer

The quickest flight from South Africa to China takes around 13h 15m. Flights depart from OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) and arrive at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX).

Question 4

How often do planes fly between South Africa and China?

Accepted Answer

Scheduled flights between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX) depart 2-4 times a week. These flights are serviced by Air China, Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways and the typical transit time is around 13h 15m.

Question 5

Do dedicated cargo planes (freighters) fly between South Africa and China?

Accepted Answer

Yes there are dedicated cargo planes that fly regular scheduled services between South Africa and China. Cargo flights depart from OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) and arrive at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) with departures 1-2 times a day and a average flight time of around 20h 23m. Ethiopian Airlines operates  on this route.

Question 6

What is the distance between South Africa to China by ship?

Accepted Answer

The distance between South Africa and China by cargo ship is 7,509 Nautical Miles (13,907 Kilometres / 8,641 Miles). This distance is measured by sea between Cape Town (ZACPT) and Xiamen (CNXMG).

Question 7

What is the distance between South Africa to China by air?

Accepted Answer

The distance between South Africa and China by air is around 10,694 Kilometres (6,645 Miles). This distance is measured following typical flight paths between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX).

Question 8

How much CO2 is produced when transporting a shipping container from South Africa to China by sea?

Accepted Answer

1.08t CO₂e (per TEU) is the estimated emissions output (CO2e) when transporting a typical shipping container (1 TEU) from South Africa to China. This is calculated using the overall historical emissions of the average container ship on this trade lane and dividing it by the total projected capacity.

Question 9

How much CO2 is produced when sending cargo by air from South Africa to China?

Accepted Answer

431kg CO₂e (per 100kg) is the estimated emissions output (CO2e) when sending cargo by air from South Africa to China. This is calculated by determining the total fuel burn output of various aircraft that typically fly this route and dividing it by the total available cargo capacity in KGs.

Operating carriers	Departure frequency	Aircraft types
Air China	2-4 times a week	Airbus A350-900
Singapore Airlines	Every 1-2 days	Airbus A350-900+1 others
Emirates	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 777-300ER+2 others
Qatar Airways	2-4 times a week	Airbus A350-900+1 others

More Details	See carrier information, flight schedules and estimated emissions

Operating carriers	Departure frequency	Aircraft types
Ethiopian AirlinesFreighter	1-2 times a day	Boeing 777-200F Freighter+7 others
More Details	See carrier information, flight schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
Iroko	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
Iroko	Direct	1-2 times a week	MSC
More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
ZAX3 / SA1 / SAC / SAF3	Direct	2-4 times a week	COSCO, ONE, Gold Star, Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL, ZIM
SHAKA2 / ZAX1 / SAFARI	Direct	2-4 times a week	Maersk, CMA CGM, COSCO
SAF / UBX / EMC - SAF \| PIL - UBX	Direct	1-2 times a week	Matson, Evergreen, PIL
SHAKA2 / ZAX1 → PEX2 / CAX1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM, COSCO
SA1 → ASE	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, ZIM
MSC - Ingwe → AE3	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Maersk
MSC - Ingwe → AE11	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk
ZAX1 → CPNW	Transshipment	2-4 times a week	COSCO
SA1 → NE1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd
SA1 → SE1	Transshipment	2-4 times a week	Hapag-Lloyd
ZAX3 / SAF3 → ESA / TLA1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	COSCO, OOCL
MSC - Ingwe → AE1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk
SHAKA2 / ZAX1 / SAFARI → ANZEX / CNS / ANL - ANZEX \| CMA - ANZEX \| COSCO - CNS \| NPDL - NCS \| OOCL - CNS \| PIL - NCS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	CMA CGM, Maersk, COSCO
MSC - Ingwe → COSCO - WAX1 \| GSL - FAX \| ONE - WA1 \| OOCL - WAF1 \| ZIM - FAX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk
ZAX3 → CIT	Transshipment	2-4 times a week	COSCO
ZAX1 → WSA	Transshipment	2-4 times a week	COSCO
ZAX1 → CPV	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	COSCO
Ingwe → Albatros	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	MSC
Ingwe → Jade	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
SAF3 → CPX	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	OOCL
SAC → MD1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE
ZAX1 → WSA2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	COSCO
ZAX3 / SAC / SAF3 → FCE / CCX / FCS2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	COSCO, ONE, OOCL
SAC → EC2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE
MSC - Ingwe → ASAS2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk
SA1 / SAC → AS2 / SX1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE, Hapag-Lloyd
MSC - Ingwe → NEOASAS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk
Ingwe → BUNGARAYA	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
SA1 → US1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd
MSC - Ingwe → MASHARIKI	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk
Ingwe → Ipanema	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC

More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

South Africa to China By Air freight, Container ship or Road

South Africa to China by Air freight

Quickest air route

OR Tambo International Airport to Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport

Cargo flights

OR Tambo International Airport to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport

South Africa to China by Container ship

Quickest ocean route

Cape Town to Xiamen

Most frequent

Durban to Shanghai

Compare shipping modes

Air Freight

Container Ship

About Fluent Cargo

More about shipping cargo and freight from South Africa to China by Air, Ocean and Road

Shipping from South Africa

Shipping to China