Question 1

How long does it take to ship a container from London to Cape Town by sea?

Accepted Answer

The shortest shipping time by sea between London and Cape Town is 42 days 8h. Ships depart from London Gateway Port (GBLGP) and arrive at Cape Town (ZACPT) with scheduled departures 1-2 times a week.

Question 2

How regularly do container ships travel between London and Cape Town?

Accepted Answer

There are scheduled container ships that depart 1-2 times a week from London Gateway Port (GBLGP) and arrive into Cape Town (ZACPT) around 42 days 8h later. These services are operated by ONE, MSC, MSC, ONE, Hapag-Lloyd, Hapag-Lloyd, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, MSC, MSC and MSC.

Question 3

How long does it take to send cargo from London to Cape Town by air freight?

Accepted Answer

The quickest flight from London to Cape Town takes around 11h 35m. Flights depart from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and arrive at Cape Town International Airport (CPT).

Question 4

How often do planes fly between London and Cape Town?

Accepted Answer

Scheduled flights between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT) depart 2-4 times a week. These flights are serviced by Virgin Atlantic, Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Kenya Airways and the typical transit time is around 11h 35m.

Question 5

Do dedicated cargo planes (freighters) fly between London and Cape Town?

Accepted Answer

No, it doesn't look like there are dedicated Cargo planes flying between London and Cape Town. There are regular passenger aircraft however and they might be able to accommodate your cargo depending on its dimensions and weight.

Question 6

What is the distance between London to Cape Town by ship?

Accepted Answer

The distance between London and Cape Town by cargo ship is 8,845 Nautical Miles (16,382 Kilometres / 10,179 Miles). This distance is measured by sea between Tilbury (GBTIL) and Cape Town (ZACPT).

Question 7

What is the distance between London to Cape Town by air?

Accepted Answer

The distance between London and Cape Town by air is around 10,033 Kilometres (6,234 Miles). This distance is measured following typical flight paths between London City Airport (LCY) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT).

Question 8

How much CO2 is produced when transporting a shipping container from London to Cape Town by sea?

Accepted Answer

1.57t CO₂e (per TEU) is the estimated emissions output (CO2e) when transporting a typical shipping container (1 TEU) from London to Cape Town. 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 London to Cape Town?

Accepted Answer

660kg CO₂e (per 100kg) is the estimated emissions output (CO2e) when sending cargo by air from London to Cape Town. 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
Virgin Atlantic	2-4 times a week	Boeing 787-9
Ethiopian Airlines	1-2 times a week	Airbus A350-900+1 others
Turkish Airlines	Every 1-2 days	Airbus A321neo+3 others
Emirates	1-2 times a day	Airbus A380-800+1 others
Qatar Airways	Daily	Airbus A350-900+3 others
Virgin Atlantic	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 787-9+1 others
Kenya Airways	Every 1-2 days	Boeing 787-8+1 others

More Details	See carrier information, flight schedules and estimated emissions

Operating carriers	Departure frequency	Aircraft types
KLM	1-2 times a day	Embraer 190+2 others
More Details	See carrier information, flight schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
SAX / SAECS / SRX	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd
NWC to SAF	Direct	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
Lion → Iroko	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	MSC
FE5 → SAS	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	ONE
NE2 → SA2	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd
NE2 / AE1 → SAX / SAECS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk
ECX → SAX	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd
Albatros → NWC to SAF	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	MSC
NWC To WAF → NWC to SAF	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
Britannia → IAS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
NWC To WAF → NWC MOR WAF	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC

More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
EME / SLB / LEX → SAX / SAECS / SRX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE
More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

Service Lines	Service Type	Departure frequency	Servicing Carriers
Condor → Iroko	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
FE3 → SAS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE
CLX → SAECS	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Maersk
AT3 → SRX	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	ONE
AL3 / TA2 → SAX / SAECS	Transshipment	Every 2-4 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk
IBC → SRX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE
CAX → SAECS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk
CLX → SAECS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk
AT3 → SRX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE
AL1 / TA3 → SAX / SAECS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd
IOX → SRX	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	ONE
AL3 / TA2 → SAX / SAECS	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk
Griffin → NWC to SAF	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
NWC to/from Tilbury - Montoir - Brest Pendulum → NWC to SAF	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC
Griffin → NWC MOR WAF	Transshipment	Every 1-2 weeks	MSC

More Details	See carrier information, sailing schedules and estimated emissions

London to Cape Town By Air freight, Container ship or Road

Map / Route overview

Compare shipping modes

Air Freight

Container Ship

About Fluent Cargo

London to Cape Town by Air freight

Quickest air route

London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town International Airport

Closest airports

London City Airport to Cape Town International Airport

London to Cape Town by Container ship

Quickest ocean route

London Gateway Port to Cape Town

Closest seaports

Tilbury to Cape Town

Cargo flights

Southampton to Cape Town

Most frequent

Felixstowe to Cape Town

More about shipping cargo and freight from London to Cape Town by Air, Ocean and Road

Shipping from London

Shipping to Cape Town