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2026 China-Africa Sea Freight Rate Index v5 | 46 Ports FCL/LCL/Break Bulk Q3

● 2026-08-12 ● - ● Leave me a message

About this rate index: Indicative selling prices (指导价) compiled from SPEED INT'L direct carrier contracts on the China-Africa trade lane, effective 2026 Q3. Actual quotes depend on cargo weight, season, BAF and destination clearance. Rates are rounded to the nearest USD 50 for reference — always request a current quote before booking.

African ports in direct coverage

30-45d

China to West Africa

25-35d

China to East/South Africa

$1,550-7,200

20GP indicative range

1. FCL Rates: China to West Africa (USD)

Destination	Country	20GP	40HQ	Transit	Documents
Lagos / Apapa Tin Can · Lekki	Nigeria	2,500-4,050	2,500-5,550	30-40 d	Form M, PAAR, ECTN/BESC
Tema Takoradi	Ghana	2,100-3,250	1,800-4,350	30-35 d	CTN, ICUMS
Abidjan San Pedro	Cote d'Ivoire	2,100-3,550	1,800-4,750	30-40 d	CTN/BESC
Douala / Kribi Limbe	Cameroon	3,300-4,400	3,700-5,750	30-40 d	ECTN/BESC
Cotonou / Lome Porto-Novo	Benin / Togo	2,100-3,600	1,800-4,900	35-45 d	BESC/ECTN
Luanda / Lobito Namibe	Angola	3,100-4,400	3,300-6,000	35-45 d	CNCA/ARCLA
Pointe-Noire	Congo	3,100-4,500	3,300-6,050	35-45 d	ECTN
Conakry	Guinea	4,100-7,200	3,500-8,850	35-45 d	CTN/BESC
Dakar	Senegal	3,200-4,950	2,700-5,900	35-45 d	CTN/BESC
Freetown	Sierra Leone	4,100-4,900	3,500-5,100	35-45 d	ENS + ACD
Banjul	Gambia	3,200-4,950	2,800-5,750	35-45 d	CTN/BESC
Boma / Matadi	DR Congo	3,600-4,800	4,300-6,800	35-45 d	FERI + CTN
Libreville	Gabon	3,300-4,400	3,700-6,000	35-45 d	CTN/BESC
Bata / Malabo	Equatorial Guinea	3,600-5,000	4,300-6,900	35-45 d	CTN/BESC
Cabinda	Angola	4,300-5,000	5,700-6,900	35-45 d	CNCA/ARCLA
Monrovia	Liberia	4,000-4,600	3,500-4,600	35-45 d	CTN/BESC
Nouakchott	Mauritania	3,200-5,250	2,800-6,000	35-45 d	CTN/BESC
Bissau	Guinea-Bissau	5,300-6,200	4,750-6,500	35-45 d	CTN/BESC

2. FCL Rates: China to East & South Africa (USD)

Destination	Country	20GP	40HQ	Transit	Documents
Mombasa Dar es Salaam Tanga	Kenya	2,050-3,200	2,750-4,800	25-35 d	IDF (KRA), SGR inland
Dar es Salaam	Tanzania	2,200-3,100	3,000-4,500	25-35 d	IDF, CTN
Durban	South Africa	1,550-2,700	1,600-3,400	25-35 d	SARS clearance
Cape Town East London	South Africa	1,950-3,150	1,800-4,650	25-35 d	SARS clearance
Maputo / Beira Nacala / Nacala	Mozambique	2,550-4,100	3,650-6,600	25-35 d	e-DI, CTN/BESC
Tamatave Diego Suarez	Madagascar	2,500-2,800	2,600-3,200	30-40 d	BSC
Mogadishu	Somalia	3,350-3,650	4,750-5,700	30-40 d	Clean B/L
Moroni / Mutsamudu	Comoros	4,500	9,400	40-55 d	Clean B/L (feeder)
Male	Maldives	2,050-2,900	2,650-4,400	20-30 d	Clean B/L
Pointe des Galets	Reunion	2,500-2,800	2,600-3,200	30-40 d	Clean B/L

3. LCL Reference Rates (per CBM, USD)

Destination	Rate/CBM	Minimum	Transit	Notes
Lagos / Apapa	60-90	0.5 CBM	30-40 d	Form M, PAAR, ECTN handled
Tema	55-80	0.5 CBM	30-35 d	CTN + ICUMS clearance
Luanda	70-110	0.5 CBM	35-45 d	CNCA/ARCLA registration
Mombasa	50-75	0.5 CBM	25-35 d	IDF clearance
Douala	65-100	0.5 CBM	30-40 d	ECTN/BESC
Cotonou / Lome	55-85	0.5 CBM	30-40 d	BESC/ECTN handled

How LCL rates are calculated: LCL (Less than Container Load) shipping cost is computed by volume (CBM) or weight (1,000 kg = 1 RT), whichever is greater. Our indicative ~USD 80-130 / CBM range is derived from SPEED INT’L direct 20GP cost (20GP ÷ 28 CBM × 1.6 typical LCL/FCL ratio), plus BAF, port charges, and destination customs documentation (CTN / ECTN / BESC). Actual rates vary by cargo density, route frequency, and seasonality — request a current quote for your specific cargo.

4. Break Bulk & Project Cargo

Typical rates: quoted per freight ton (W/M) with stowage engineering; contact SPEED for current project pricing.
Heavy lift (100+ tons/unit): quoted per project with vessel selection, lashing engineering and survey included.
Ro-Ro vehicles: sedans from USD 800-1,500; trucks/excavators quoted per unit or CBM.
OOG containers: typically 1.5-3x the standard FCL rate depending on dimensions.

2026 Market Trends Worth Watching

Trend	Impact
Africa port expansion (Tema MPS3, Abidjan TC2, Lekki deep-water)	Shorter vessel waiting, more direct Asia calls
Bauxite & critical minerals demand	Strong break bulk demand into Guinea, Ghana, Mozambique
Digital customs (ICUMS, KRA iCMS)	Faster clearance when documentation is complete
Fuel/BAF volatility	Quarterly rate fluctuations expected
AfCFTA momentum	Growing tariff-conscious routing via transshipment hubs

How SPEED INT'L Helps

SPEED INT'L is a licensed NVOCC (MOC-NV11880) established in 2011, moving 200,000+ revenue tons annually on the China-Africa trade lane:

✓ FCL / LCL / Break Bulk / Ro-Ro / OOG / Door-to-Door
✓ In-house handling of CTN, ECTN/BESC, CNCA/ARCLA, FERI, ENS and Form M/PAAR
✓ Direct carrier contracts across 46 African ports
✓ Local partners in Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon and more
✓ 24/7 shipment tracking and a dedicated project team

Request a current quote:

📩 Contact Us for a Quote ☎ Call +86-18666097380 ✉ Email cici_li

We respond in 2 hours during business time (Beijing, GMT+8)

Disclaimer: Indicative rate ranges only, derived from SPEED INT'L direct carrier contracts (指导价) and rounded to the nearest USD 50 for reference. Subject to market conditions, BAF, seasonality and cargo specifics. This report does not constitute a binding quotation.

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