What is the transit time between Antwerp Port and Melbourne Port?

Transit time could be a headache for exporters in certain situations, especially where importers demand the goods as soon as possible but the production department could not make the order ready for shipment.
I can still recall today my experiences with the freight forwarders, in which situations I was searching for a faster vessel, as an exporter, in order to gain couple of days from transit time, so that we could meet the delivery deadline of our customers. 

Now due to financial crises no one want to keep big stocks, neither exporters or importers. I bet faster deliveries are far more important than ever in international trade transactions.

Today I would like to check transit time between Antwerp Port and Melbourne Port and I will be trying to find the fastest container line working between these two important ports.

Antwerp Port, which is the busiest container port of Belgium, is the 16th biggest container port of the world as of 2013 statistics. 

Port of Melbourne is one of the key container ports in Australia. 

The Port of Melbourne is the main seaport that is serving to Victoria region and south-eastern Australia. Melbourne Port also one of the largest international maritime hub for containerised cargo. 

As a result the transit time between Antwerp Port and Melbourne Port is an important piece of information for exporters and importers using this container freight route.

Let me try to show you the transit time between Antwerp Port and Melbourne Port via different container liners as belows.

What is the transit time between Antwerp Port and Melbourne Port via MSC?


MSC follows Antwerp, Rotterdam, Sydney and Melbourne Port route with its own or chartered container vessels. The transit time is around 45 days via transshipment at Gioia Tauro Port, Italy.

MSC New York sailing schedule can be found below:
  • 2014 December 6th,  Antwerp Port
  • 2014 December 8th,  Rotterdam Port
  • 2015 January 16th, Sydney Port
  • 2015 January 20th, Melbourne Port
You can search MSC's Antwerp Port to Melbourne Port current vessel schedules from this link

This service use Suez Canal, Egypt.

What is the transit time between Antwerp Port and Melbourne Port via Hamburg Süd?


Hamburg Süd transports containers from Antwerp Seaport, Germany to Melbourne Seaport, Australia with following destinations: Antwerp PortLe Havre Port, Cartagena Port, Auckland Port, Sydney Port and Melbourne Port route with its own  or chartered container vessels. 

The transit time is around 40 days and there is no transshipment information can be gathered from Hamburg Süd's website. 

This service use Panama Canal, Panama.

Hamburg Süd's vessel sailing schedule example can be found below:
  • 2014 December 19th,  Antwerp Port
  • 2014 December 21st, Le Havre Port
  • 2015 January 07th, Cartagena Port
  • 2015 January 27th, Auckland Port
  • 2015 January 30th, Sydney Port
  • 2015 February 02nd, Melbourne Port
You can search Hamburg Süd's Antwerp Port to Melbourne Port current vessel schedules from this link