China to Africa sea and air freight transit times

Container port with gantry cranes loading a ship bound for Africa

How long does sea freight from China to Africa usually take?

The sea leg takes about 20 to 40 days, depending on the destination port.

Lagos, Nigeria: about 30 to 38 days.
Tema, Ghana and Mombasa, Kenya: 28 to 35 days.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: 30 to 38 days.
Ethiopia (discharged at Djibouti) and Durban, South Africa: 22 to 30 days.
Lomé, Togo and Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire: 30 to 38 days; Dakar, Senegal: 30 to 40 days.
Tanger Med, Morocco: 25 to 32 days; Casablanca port: 30 to 38 days.
Algeria and Tunisia (mostly via Mediterranean hubs): 28 to 38 days; Egypt (Sokhna, Port Said, Alexandria): 20 to 30 days.
These figures cover the sea leg only and depend on the port of loading, whether the service is direct and the sailing schedule.
Nigeria sea freight door to door: 45 to 60 days in total (from receipt to delivery, including pickup and export declaration in China and clearance and delivery at destination).
Nigeria air freight door to door: 7 to 12 days (from receipt to delivery, clearance and delivery included).

Information updated: August 2026

What makes up the transit time

Stage	Typical duration	Notes
Pickup and warehouse intake in China	1 to 3 days	Depends on where the factory is and how pickup is arranged.
Export declaration and waiting for space	2 to 5 days	Shorter when documents are complete; longer if the cargo is inspected.
Ocean transit	20 to 40 days	Varies by destination port; see the table below for each country. Direct and transhipment services differ markedly, and this is the largest part of the total.
Clearance at the destination port	3 to 10 days	Complete documents and the right certificates are the key variables.
Inland delivery in the destination country	1 to 7 days	Same day within port cities; inland cities depend on distance.

Transit times by country

Reference sea and air freight transit times from China to each African country
Destination	Main ports / airports	Sea freight	Air freight
Nigeria	Lagos	45 - 60 days (door to door)	7 - 12 days (door to door)
Ghana	Tema Port	28 - 35 days (in transit)	6 - 9 days (in transit)
Togo	Port of Lomé	30 - 38 days (in transit)	6 - 9 days (in transit)
Côte d'Ivoire	Port of Abidjan	30 - 38 days (in transit)	6 - 9 days (in transit)
Senegal	Port of Dakar	30 - 40 days (in transit)	6 - 9 days (in transit)
Kenya	Mombasa Port	28 - 35 days (in transit)	6 - 9 days (in transit)
Tanzania	Dar es Salaam Port	30 - 38 days (in transit)	7 - 10 days (in transit)
Ethiopia	Djibouti Port (Doraleh)	22 - 30 days (in transit)	5 - 8 days (in transit)
South Africa	Durban Port	22 - 30 days (in transit)	6 - 9 days (in transit)
Morocco	Tanger Med	25 - 38 days (in transit)	5 - 8 days (in transit)
Algeria	Port of Algiers	28 - 38 days (in transit)	5 - 8 days (in transit)
Tunisia	Port of Radès	28 - 38 days (in transit)	5 - 8 days (in transit)
Egypt	Port Said / Alexandria / Sokhna	20 - 30 days (in transit)	5 - 8 days (in transit)

Nigeria times are door to door: from when we receive your goods until you sign for delivery, including export declaration, import clearance and delivery; the sea leg to Lagos port is about 30 - 38 days. Other countries show time in transit from departure of the ship or flight, excluding export declaration and import clearance.

Clearance ports in Nigeria

Clearance port	Import facilities	Nearby coverage	Notes
Lagos	Apapa, Tin Can Island and Lekki seaports, MMIA airport	Lagos and the south-western states	The main clearance port: FCL, LCL and air freight can all clear here, and the three seaports can take each other's overflow when one is congested
Kano	Northern inland clearance	Kano, Kaduna and other northern states	Cargo clears in Kano, so northern buyers do not wait for release in Lagos and a long haul north
Port Harcourt	Onne port / Port Harcourt port area	Rivers State, Enugu, Onitsha and the south-east	The southern clearance port, close to the oil and gas region; often used for project cargo and oilfield equipment

View the Nigeria route

Clearance ports in Ghana

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Tema Port	Seaport	Tema (about 30 km from Accra)	Ghana's main container port
Takoradi Port	Seaport	Takoradi	Western port, with more bulk and project cargo
Kotoka (ACC)	Airport	Accra	Main air cargo entry point

Regular container cargo goes through Tema; oversized and breakbulk cargo can be assessed for Takoradi.

View the Ghana route

Clearance ports in Togo

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Port Autonome de Lomé	Seaport	Lomé	West African deep-water port with direct mainline calls from Asia and a regional transhipment hub
Lomé Container Terminal (LCT)	Container terminal	Lomé port area	Deep-water container terminal inside the port, handling large transhipment volumes
Lomé inland transit corridor	Road	Lomé → Ouagadougou, Niamey	Cargo for Burkina Faso and Niger clears transit in Lomé and continues by road
Gnassingbé Eyadéma International (LFW)	Airport	Lomé	Main air cargo entry point

For destinations in Burkina Faso, Niger and other landlocked countries, cargo can transit through Lomé; the road leg's time and cost are priced by delivery city.

View the Togo route

Clearance ports in Côte d'Ivoire

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Port Autonome d'Abidjan	Seaport	Abidjan	Côte d'Ivoire's main container port, also handling transit cargo for landlocked countries
Port Autonome de San-Pédro	Seaport	San-Pédro, south-west coast	Suits south-western destinations and industrial project cargo
Abidjan inland transit corridor	Road / rail	Abidjan → Ouagadougou, Bamako	Cargo for Burkina Faso and Mali clears transit in Abidjan and continues inland
Félix Houphouët-Boigny International (ABJ)	Airport	Abidjan	Main air cargo entry point

Destinations in and around Abidjan usually go through Abidjan port; for the south-west or transit to landlocked countries, we compare ports and transport by delivery city.

View the Côte d'Ivoire route

Clearance ports in Senegal

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Port Autonome de Dakar	Seaport	Dakar	Senegal's main commercial port; cargo from Asia mostly arrives by transhipment
Dakar–Bamako corridor	Road	Dakar → Bamako	Cargo for Mali clears transit in Dakar and continues by road
Blaise Diagne International (DSS)	Airport	About 45 km from central Dakar	Main air cargo entry point

Destinations in and around Dakar are delivered straight after clearance; for transit to Mali, the road leg's time and cost are priced by delivery city.

View the Senegal route

Clearance ports in Kenya

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Mombasa Port	Seaport	Mombasa	East Africa's largest port and the main import route for Kenya and its inland neighbours
Jomo Kenyatta (JKIA)	Airport	Nairobi	East Africa's main air cargo hub
Nairobi ICD	Inland container depot	Nairobi	Inland clearance point for cargo railed from Mombasa

Clearing at Nairobi ICD suits cargo bound for Nairobi and its surroundings and saves a road leg, but rail transit time has to be added.

View the Kenya route

Clearance ports in Tanzania

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Dar es Salaam Port	Seaport	Dar es Salaam	Tanzania's main port, also the transit route for inland neighbours
Julius Nyerere (DAR)	Airport	Dar es Salaam	Main air cargo entry point
Zanzibar Port	Seaport	Zanzibar	Island port with smaller volumes

Cargo in transit to inland countries follows the transit procedure, with different documents from local clearance; confirm in advance.

View the Tanzania route

Clearance ports in Ethiopia

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Djibouti Port (Doraleh)	Seaport (transit)	Djibouti	Discharge port for nearly all of Ethiopia's sea imports; cargo enters Ethiopia in transit
Modjo Dry Port	Inland dry port	Modjo (about 70 km from Addis Ababa)	Ethiopia's main import clearance point for rail and road transit cargo
Bole (ADD)	Airport	Addis Ababa	Main air cargo entry point and an important air cargo hub for Africa

The clearance point and the transport mode from Djibouti to Ethiopia must be fixed at booking and shown on the bill of lading; changing them later adds cost and time.

View the Ethiopia route

Clearance ports in South Africa

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Durban Port	Seaport	Durban (KwaZulu-Natal)	Southern Africa's busiest container port; most of South Africa's sea imports enter here
Cape Town Port	Seaport	Cape Town	Main port for the Western Cape
City Deep	Inland container depot	Johannesburg	Inland container terminal for cargo railed from Durban, serving Gauteng
O.R. Tambo (JNB)	Airport	Johannesburg	South Africa's main air cargo gateway

Cargo for Johannesburg and Gauteng can be cleared in Durban and delivered by road, or railed to City Deep; we compare time and cost before choosing.

View the South Africa route

Clearance ports in Morocco

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Tanger Med	Seaport	Tangier, on the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar	Large Mediterranean container hub with direct calls from Asia
Port of Casablanca	Seaport	Casablanca	Main commercial port of Morocco's economic capital; most cargo from Asia arrives by transhipment
Port of Agadir	Seaport	Agadir	Southern Atlantic port serving the Souss-Massa region
Mohammed V International (CMN)	Airport	Casablanca	Main air cargo entry point

For destinations in and around Casablanca, compare "direct call at Tanger Med then road" with "transhipment to Casablanca port"; the choice depends on the sailing schedule and cost at booking.

View the Morocco route

Clearance ports in Algeria

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Port d'Alger	Seaport	Algiers	Commercial port of the capital, serving central Algeria
Port d'Oran	Seaport	Oran, north-west	Main port for the west
Port de Béjaïa	Seaport	Béjaïa, north-east	Port often used for the east
Houari Boumediene (ALG)	Airport	Algiers	Main air cargo entry point

When the delivery city is not a port city, choosing the nearest port shortens the road leg from port to door.

View the Algeria route

Clearance ports in Tunisia

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Port de Radès	Seaport	Southern outskirts of Tunis	Tunisia's main container port
Port de Sfax	Seaport	Sfax, east coast	Serves the industrial centre and south
Port de Bizerte	Seaport	Bizerte, north	Port available for the north
Tunis-Carthage (TUN)	Airport	Tunis	Main air cargo entry point

Destinations in Tunis and the north usually go through Radès; for the centre and south, Sfax is worth comparing. The sailing schedule and cost at booking apply.

View the Tunisia route

Clearance ports in Egypt

Port	Type	Location	Notes
Alexandria Port	Seaport	Alexandria, Mediterranean coast	Egypt's largest commercial port, serving Cairo and the Nile Delta
Port Said (East Port Said)	Seaport	Port Said, northern entrance of the Suez Canal	Container hub at the canal entrance with many Asian services
Sokhna Port	Seaport	Gulf of Suez, Red Sea side	Ships from Asia do not need to transit the canal; about 120 km from Cairo
Cairo International (CAI)	Airport	Cairo	Main air cargo entry point

For deliveries in Cairo, compare "discharge at Sokhna then road" with "through the canal to Port Said or Alexandria"; the sailing schedule and cost at booking apply.

View the Egypt route

About these transit times

Time at sea or in the air, from departure. Customs and port queues are extra; peak season and congestion can add time.

We do not promise an unconditional fixed delivery date. Before booking we give you a confirmed sailing and estimated arrival date, and we share actual progress throughout the shipment.

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