How long does ocean shipping from Shanghai to Charleston take?

Direct port-to-port transit on this lane typically takes 34 to 39 days, based on 1,070 recorded voyages.

How many sailings per week are there from Shanghai to Charleston?

Roughly 12.5 sailings per week departed over the past four weeks (physical vessels, all carriers combined).

Ocean Schedule › All lanes › Shanghai → Charleston

Shanghai to Charleston — Ocean Freight Schedule & Transit Time

Connecting China's busiest container port directly to one of the U.S. East Coast's most active gateways, this trans-Pacific service gives importers a reliable all-water option for shipping from Shanghai to Charleston without the added complexity of overland moves. Eleven carriers operate on this lane — including CMA-CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, Maersk, ONE Line, and OOCL — providing a broad range of sailing options throughout the year. Transit times run approximately 34 to 39 days, reflecting the longer all-water routing around the Cape of Good Hope or through the Suez corridor to reach the South Atlantic coast. For U.S. importers supplying distribution networks across the Southeast and beyond, Charleston's modern terminal infrastructure and strong rail and highway connections make this a practical and increasingly popular routing to plan around.

Data last updated: 2026-07-09 — refreshed with every new schedule batch.

34–39 daysTypical transit (P25–P75)

~12.5/weekSailings, last 4 weeks

19Active route products (90 days)

11Carriers

10243 nmSea-route distance

Supply & Demand snapshot

Deployed capacity Shrinking — avg ~80,430 TEU/week planned ahead vs ~130,882 over the past 6 weeks (-39%)

Space utilization Space open · 79% of measured capacity in use (week of 2026-07-06)

Port performance Shanghai (POL) 2.0 days avg stay · limited sample · Charleston (POD) 1.0 day avg stay · limited sample

Carriers on this lane

CMA-CGM · COSCO · Evergreen · Hapag-Lloyd · MSC · Maersk · ONE Line · OOCL · Wan Hai · Yang Ming · Zim

Frequently asked questions

How long does ocean shipping from Shanghai to Charleston take?: Direct port-to-port transit on this lane typically takes 34 to 39 days, based on 1,070 recorded voyages.
How many sailings per week are there from Shanghai to Charleston?: Roughly 12.5 sailings per week departed over the past four weeks (physical vessels, all carriers combined).
Which carriers serve the Shanghai to Charleston route?: 11 carriers currently market this lane, including CMA-CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, Maersk and others.

Compare live schedules & services on this lane →

More lanes from Shanghai

Shanghai → Baltimore Shanghai → Boston Shanghai → Dutch Harbor Shanghai → Newark Shanghai → Honolulu Shanghai → Houston Shanghai → Jacksonville Shanghai → Los Angeles Shanghai → Long Beach Shanghai → Miami Shanghai → Mobile Shanghai → New York

Figures are indicative estimates with partial coverage, for reference only, not carrier-confirmed. Coverage: East & Southeast Asia → United States, direct port-to-port services. For live FCL/LCL quotes, contact an ETDETA sales specialist.