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 10 days 5h. Ships depart from Cape Town (ZACPT) and arrive at Tianjin (CNTSN) with scheduled departures Every 2-4 weeks.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

There are scheduled container ships that depart every 2-4 weeks from Cape Town (ZACPT) and arrive into Tianjin (CNTSN) around 10 days 5h later. These services are operated by Maersk.

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 18h 16m. Flights depart from OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) and arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK).

Question 4

How often do planes fly between South Africa and China?

Accepted Answer

Scheduled flights between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) depart 2-4 times a week. These flights are serviced by Air China, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Ethiopian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, EgyptAir, Lufthansa, Lufthansa, KLM and Air France and the typical transit time is around 18h 16m.

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 19h 39m. 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 8,379 Nautical Miles (15,518 Kilometres / 9,643 Miles). This distance is measured by sea between Cape Town (ZACPT) and Tianjin (CNTSN).

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 11,723 Kilometres (7,284 Miles). This distance is measured following typical flight paths between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK).

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

629kg 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

318kg 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
Emirates	1-2 times a day	Airbus A380-800+1 others
Cathay Pacific	Every 1-2 weeks	Airbus A350-900+3 others
Ethiopian Airlines	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 777-200F Freighter+5 others
Singapore Airlines	1-2 times a week	Airbus A350-900+2 others
EgyptAir	1-2 times a week	Airbus A330-300+1 others
Lufthansa	Every 1-2 weeks	Airbus A350-900
Lufthansa	2-4 times a week	Boeing 747-8+1 others
KLM	2-4 times a week	Boeing 777-200 / 200ER+2 others
Air France	2-4 times a week	Boeing 777-300ER+2 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
AE12 / Phoenix	Direct	Every 2-4 weeks	Maersk, MSC
More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
ZAX3 / FAX / SA1 / SAC / SAF3	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	Gold Star, ONE, OOCL, COSCO, Evergreen, ZIM, Hapag-Lloyd, PIL
FAX → GCS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	PIL
SAF3 / FAX → RS2	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	OOCL, PIL
SAC / SAF3 → NPI	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE, OOCL
ZAX3 / SA1 / SAC / SAF3 → WAX3 / FA2 / SW2 / WAF3	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE, OOCL, Gold Star, COSCO, ZIM, Hapag-Lloyd
FAX / SA1 / SAC → KME / AG3	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd
ZAX3 / SA1 / SAF3 → AS1 / CI4 / CPX3	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, Gold Star, COSCO, ZIM
ZAX3 / FAX / SAF3 → EAX3 / AEF	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, COSCO, Evergreen
ZAX3 / FAX / SAF3 → AEM1 / MD2 / WM1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, COSCO, Evergreen
FAX / SA1 → CIX3 / NIX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Gold Star, Evergreen, ZIM
ZAX3 / FAX / SAF3 → MEX4 / AMA / ME1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, COSCO, Evergreen
ZAX3 / SA1 / SAF3 → WAX4 / AWA / WAF4	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd
Ingwe → AFL	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
Ingwe → AFL - X	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
→ KME	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Evergreen
Ingwe → Carioca	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
→ AEF	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Evergreen
→ MD2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Evergreen
→ CIX3	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Evergreen
→ AMA	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Evergreen
Ingwe → Bengal	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC

More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
ZAX3 / SAF3 → KTX3	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, COSCO
ZAX3 / SA1 / SAF3 → CAX1 / JCS / TLC1	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd
SA1 →	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	ZIM
SA1 / SAC → MD3	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE, Hapag-Lloyd
ZAX3 / FAX / SAF3 → FCS / FME	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, COSCO, Evergreen
ZAX3 → CI5	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	COSCO
ZAX3 / SAF3 → RBC2 / CCT2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	OOCL, COSCO
Ingwe → Tiger	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

Map / Route overview

Compare shipping modes

Air Freight

Container Ship

About Fluent Cargo

South Africa to China by Air freight

Quickest air route

OR Tambo International Airport to Beijing Capital 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 Tianjin

Cargo flights

Durban to Qingdao

Most frequent

Durban to Shekou

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

Shipping from South Africa

Shipping to China