Shipping from Japan to Australia -Time
How long does it take for shipping from Japan to Australia using the services of an international shipping company or international movers? (What is the average shipping time from Japan to Australia?)
If you are shipping from Japan to Australia by sea, services are available to the ports of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle and Hobart. Average/ Estimated port-to-port shipping times from Tokyo or Yokohama, Japan to ports in Australia for sea freights are as follows:
- Sydney: 27 to 32 days
- Melbourne: 28 to 33 days
- Brisbane/Fremantle: 30 to 37 days
- Adelaide: 35 to 45days
- Hobart (via Melbourne) 40 to 50 days
For instance, if there is a vessel leaving the port of Yokohama on April 1 for Sydney, the estimated arrival date in Sydney will be around May 1. In this case, the actual port-to-port transit time from Yokohama to Sydney is about 30 days.
In addition to the actual port-to-port transit times, the following factors must be taken into consideration to have a better idea on how long shipping from Japan to Australia will be.
- Shipments must be loaded into containers 3 or 4 days before the actual sailing date of each vessel. This is the case for LCL shipments. *LCL stands for Less than Container Load shipments, i.e. consignments shipped in consolidations as opposed to Full Container Load shipments.
- Each shipment must be cleared through Japanese customs a few days before it is loaded into containers.
- There is one vessel per week for each destination. (Shipments to Fremantle, Brisbane and Adelaide are often transshipped at Singapore, which is a major hub port and if they are transported via Singapore, the frequency is two ships per week)
- It takes at least several days for the containers unloaded from container ships and shipments are unloaded from containers at bonded warehouses.
- Car carrying ships from Japan to Australia have different schedule and frequency but the sailing time would be about the same. There is service by car carrying ships “Toyota Maru”. Toyota Maru is a pure car carrying vessel first deployed in 1970.
Taking these points into consideration, the total shipping time will be about 10 to 17 days longer than the actual port-to-port sailing times.
Nowadays consolidation shipments to Australia are normally transshipped at the hub port of Singapore and a longer transit time should be expected. Even if it is a direct service such as in the case of full container shipments, the containers are likely to make it onto a connecting ship at some hub port such as Kaohsiung, Taiwan or Singapore.
Delays caused by port congestion and worldwide container shortage:
There is long delay in container shipping because of the severe shortage of shipping containers worldwide and congestions at major ports. Therefore, considerably long delay is expected. For Australian destinations shipments are likely to experience the delay of one month and a half to over two months.
The shipping times indicated here are for Less-than-Container Load shipments. Less-than-Container Load shipments to Australia may be transshipped at Singapore, or the consolidation container may make it onto a connecting vessel either at the port of Singapore or Kaohsiung, Taiwan.