China to Egypt sea freight rates — September 2026
Rate update published 11 September 2026 · sailings from 16 September 2026. All rates are per container in USD and are subject to space and to confirmation at the time of booking.
Egypt is served in this update through El Sokhna (EGSOK), the Red Sea port at the southern end of the Suez Canal that covers Cairo and the Suez industrial zone. Three sailings are available in September 2026 — the AM1 direct service and two transhipment options — all loading in Shanghai and all carrying 21 days of free time at destination.
China to Egypt sea freight rates — September 2026
The table below lists the port of loading, destination port, service and routing, vessel and voyage, carrier, ETD and the 20GP / 40GP / 40HQ ocean freight in US dollars. In this update 40GP and 40HQ are quoted at the same level.
| Port of loading | Destination port | Service & routing | Vessel / voyage | Carrier | ETD | 20GP (USD) | 40GP (USD) | 40HQ (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | El Sokhna EGSOK 21 days free time at destination | AM1 direct | X-PRESS ODYSSEY 2637W | CU Lines (CUL) | 16 Sep 2026 | 5,000 | 7,200 | 7,200 |
| Shanghai (Yangshan) | El Sokhna EGSOK 21 days free time at destination | RES via Hong Kong (HK) | HONG DA XIN 708 V.2638W | CU Lines (CUL) | 23 Sep 2026 | 5,000 | 7,000 | 7,000 |
| Shanghai (Waigaoqiao) | El Sokhna EGSOK 21 days free time at destination | Extra loader via Port Klang (PKG) | GLOBAL 01 | Chartered extra loader | 30 Sep 2026 | 5,000 | 7,000 | 7,000 |
All figures are ocean freight per container in USD and exclude origin local charges, destination local charges, customs duty and any drop-off fee unless the notes below say otherwise. Free time at the destination port is shown under each destination. Rates are indicative and are reconfirmed when the booking is placed.
Service details and loading notes
- The AM1 and RES services and the CGX Gulf service are operated by CU Lines (CUL). AM1 and RES load in Shanghai; CGX loads in Nansha, Guangzhou.
- AM1 sails direct with X-PRESS ODYSSEY 2637W on 16 September 2026 out of Shanghai. The direct routing avoids transhipment and is the fastest option in this update. Bulk cargo can be quoted individually.
- RES has no direct sailing at present, so cargo moves via Hong Kong on the extra loader HONG DA XIN 708 V.2638W departing 23 September 2026.
- The extra loader GLOBAL 01 sails 30 September 2026 from the outer port (Waigaoqiao) with cargo transhipped via Port Klang.
- Freight levels on the China–Middle East, Red Sea and Indian subcontinent trades are currently running high. For this reason we are temporarily not signing new monthly settlement (credit) agreements with first-time customers; spot bookings paid on delivery or against invoice remain available.
Destination ports in Egypt
| Port | What it covers |
|---|---|
| El Sokhna (EGSOK) | Egypt's main Red Sea container port at the southern entrance to the Suez Canal, about 140 km from Cairo. Standard discharge port for Cairo, 6th of October City, 10th of Ramadan and the Suez Canal Economic Zone. |
Get a quotation for Egypt today
Send us your commodity, total weight and volume, the pickup city in China and the delivery address in Egypt. Our freight team will confirm the applicable service, cut-off and all-in cost, usually within one working day. You can reach us at sales007@goodhopefreight.com or on WhatsApp / WeChat +86 18938691638.
China to Egypt — freight rate and market updates (dated log, 2026)
Compiled 23 September 2026 from our booking-desk logs and from market quotations shared by carrier and consolidator desks. Ocean and rail rates are per container; air, express and DDP rates are per kilogram. Figures are indicative, are in USD unless stated otherwise, and must be re-confirmed when you book.
We logged 186 full-container quotations to Egypt during 2026. The most frequently quoted gateways were Sokhna, Alexandria, Port Said. The lowest container level recorded was USD 4,700 (2026-08-03) and the highest USD 9,100 (2026-06-26), which shows how wide the spread was between carriers and sailing windows.
For air cargo we recorded 9 service updates to Egypt in 2026, mostly on China Eastern Airlines (MU), EgyptAir (MS), Gulf Air (GF).
FCL — full container load (sea freight)
Container rates actually quoted, grouped by month and gateway. Ranges show the lowest and the highest level we saw in that month.
| Month | Port of loading | Destination | Equipment | Ocean freight (USD) | Booking notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | Nansha | Alexandria | as quoted | USD 1,975 | — |
| March 2026 | Nansha | Port Said | as quoted | USD 3,950 | — |
| March 2026 | Shekou / Nansha / Xiamen | Sokhna | as quoted | USD 3,500 – USD 5,100 | 4 quotations |
| May 2026 | Nansha | Alexandria | 40ft | USD 6,800 | cut-off on the 28 |
| May 2026 | Nansha / Shekou | Sokhna | as quoted | USD 4,200 – USD 6,950 | 10 quotations · 2 with space only · cut-off on the 5 · cut-off on the 5 |
| May 2026 | Shekou | Sokhna | 40ft | USD 6,300 | 2 quotations |
| June 2026 | Shekou / Nansha | Alexandria | as quoted | USD 6,600 | 5 quotations · 1 with space only · cut-off on the 28 · cut-off on the 28 |
| June 2026 | Shekou | Damietta | 40ft | USD 6,600 | SI cut-off on the 19 |
| June 2026 | Nansha | Port Said | 40ft | USD 9,100 | 2 quotations · cut-off on the 29 · cut-off on the 29 |
| June 2026 | Nansha / Shekou | Sokhna | as quoted | USD 5,250 – USD 7,000 | 23 quotations · cut-off on the 4 · cut-off on the 26 |
| June 2026 | Nansha / Shekou | Sokhna | 40ft | USD 6,400 – USD 6,700 | 3 quotations · cut-off on the 22 |
| July 2026 | Shekou | Alexandria | as quoted | USD 5,750 – USD 6,900 | 19 quotations · cut-off on the 8 · cut-off on the 8 |
| July 2026 | Nansha | Port Said | 40ft | USD 5,975 | — |
| July 2026 | Nansha | Sokhna | as quoted | USD 6,500 – USD 7,800 | 26 quotations · cut-off on the 8 · cut-off on the 8 |
| July 2026 | Nansha | Sokhna | 40ft | USD 6,950 | 4 quotations · cut-off on the 24 · cut-off on the 24 |
| August 2026 | Shekou | Alexandria | as quoted | USD 5,400 – USD 5,750 | 9 quotations · cut-off on the 11 · cut-off on the 10 |
| August 2026 | Nansha | Port Said | as quoted | USD 7,600 – USD 8,100 | 6 quotations · cut-off on the 12 · cut-off on the 8 |
| August 2026 | Nansha / Shekou | Sokhna | as quoted | USD 200 – USD 7,950 | 24 quotations · 1 with space only · cut-off on the 1 · cut-off on the 1 |
| August 2026 | Nansha | Sokhna | 40ft | USD 6,400 – USD 6,500 | 3 quotations · cut-off on the 26 · cut-off on the 26 |
| August 2026 | Nansha | Sokhna | 20GP | USD 4,700 – USD 5,600 | 8 quotations · cut-off on the 7 · cut-off on the 7 |
| September 2026 | Nansha | Alexandria | as quoted | USD 5,500 | 4 quotations · cut-off on the 11 · cut-off on the 11 |
| September 2026 | Shekou | Damietta | as quoted | USD 4,200 | — |
| September 2026 | Nansha / Shekou | Sokhna | as quoted | USD 5,200 – USD 7,600 | 18 quotations · 6 with space only · cut-off on the 25 · cut-off on the 20 |
| September 2026 | Nansha | Sokhna | 40ft | USD 5,600 | 2 quotations · cut-off on the 24 · cut-off on the 24 |
| September 2026 | Nansha | Sokhna | 20GP | USD 4,700 | — |
Plot of the dated quotations in the table above, on a date (x) and rate (y) axis. Where one period carries several quotations the points are averaged. Rates are indicative, exclude destination charges unless the row says otherwise, and are reconfirmed at booking.
Plot data (17 points)
| Date | Route / equipment | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-01 | Sokhna – as quoted | 4,300 |
| 2026-05-01 | Sokhna – as quoted | 5,575 |
| 2026-06-01 | Sokhna – as quoted | 6,125 |
| 2026-07-01 | Sokhna – as quoted | 7,150 |
| 2026-08-01 | Sokhna – as quoted | 4,075 |
| 2026-09-01 | Sokhna – as quoted | 6,400 |
| 2026-05-01 | Sokhna – 40GP | 6,300 |
| 2026-06-01 | Sokhna – 40GP | 6,550 |
| 2026-07-01 | Sokhna – 40GP | 6,950 |
| 2026-08-01 | Sokhna – 40GP | 6,450 |
| 2026-09-01 | Sokhna – 40GP | 5,600 |
| 2026-06-01 | Port Said – 40GP | 9,100 |
| 2026-07-01 | Port Said – 40GP | 5,975 |
| 2026-03-01 | Port Said – as quoted | 3,950 |
| 2026-08-01 | Port Said – as quoted | 7,850 |
| 2026-08-01 | Sokhna – 20GP | 5,150 |
| 2026-09-01 | Sokhna – 20GP | 4,700 |
Space offered without a published rate
The following sailings were offered with equipment or space available while the carrier kept the freight rate on request.
| Month | Port of loading | Destination | Equipment | Ocean freight (USD) | Availability notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | Qingdao | Sokhna | as quoted | — | 1 rate advised on request |
| April 2026 | Nansha | Alexandria | as quoted | — | 1 space-only offer |
| May 2026 | Nansha | Alexandria | as quoted | — | 1 space-only offer · cut-off on the 29 |
| May 2026 | Nansha | Sokhna | 20GP | — | 1 space-only offer |
| June 2026 | Qingdao | Alexandria | 40ft | — | 1 space-only offer |
| September 2026 | Nansha | Port Said | as quoted | — | 2 space-only offers |
LCL — less than container load (groupage)
| Date | Origin | Destination | Rate | Consolidation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-21 | Yantian / Shekou | Alexandria | — | Egypt included in the special-rate list |
| 2026-08-06 | Yantian / Shekou | Alexandria | — | August priority ports include Alexandria |
| 2026-09-15 | Yantian / Shekou / Nansha | Alexandria | — | Peak-season LCL space, CFS charge waived |
Air freight
| Date | Airline | Destination airport | Rate | Space status and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-25 | EgyptAir (MS) | Cairo (CAI) | — | promotional rate |
| 2026-02-25 | Gulf Air (GF) | Cairo (CAI) | — | promotional rate |
| 2026-02-25 | Saudia (SV) | Cairo (CAI) | — | lithium batteries accepted |
| 2026-07-10 | EgyptAir (MS) | Cairo (CAI) | — | direct flight |
| 2026-08-24 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Cairo (CAI) | — | space open; loose cargo accepted; palletised cargo; priority for heavy cargo |
| 2026-08-25 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Cairo (CAI) | — | space open; consolidated allocation; direct flight; priority for heavy cargo; lithium batteries accepted; onward road transfer available |
| 2026-08-26 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Cairo (CAI) | — | space open; consolidated allocation; direct flight; loose cargo accepted; palletised cargo; priority for heavy cargo |
| 2026-08-28 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Cairo (CAI) | — | space open; flight cancelled |
| 2026-09-17 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Cairo (CAI) | — | space open; direct flight |
Airline promotions and capacity notices
Chronological record of the airline and consolidator promotion notices for China–Egypt air cargo that our quotation desk logged during 2026. Each line records what was being advertised on the day, not a confirmed rate; space, routings and prices move within hours, so treat every entry as market colour and ask us to re-check the flight before you commit cargo.
| Date | Airline | Departure airport in China | Promotion and capacity notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-25 | Gulf Air (GF) | Beijing (PEK) | Offers promotional air-freight rates to Cairo (CAI). |
| 2026-02-25 | EgyptAir (MS) | Hangzhou (HGH) | Offers promotional air-freight rates to Cairo (CAI). |
| 2026-02-25 | Saudia (SV) | Hong Kong, China (HKG) | Has approval to carry lithium batteries to Cairo (CAI). |
| 2026-06-02 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Shanghai (PVG) | Accepts loose cargo to Cairo (CAI). |
| 2026-07-10 | EgyptAir (MS) | China (not stated) | Operates a direct service to Cairo (CAI). |
| 2026-07-13 | EgyptAir (MS) | Guangzhou (CAN) | Has open space to Cairo (CAI). |
| 2026-08-10 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | Nanjing (NKG) | Has open space to Cairo (CAI); space opening on Thursday. |
| 2026-08-24 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | China (not stated) | Has open space to Cairo (CAI). |
| 2026-09-18 | China Eastern Airlines (MU) | China (not stated) | Reports space opening to Cairo (CAI) on Sunday. |
Express courier & e-commerce parcel services
| Date | Service | Destination | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-25 | EMS direct-flight service, bottled Chinese spirits | Egypt | — | Sealed bottled spirits (Moutai, Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao) on direct flights, 6-10 working days; export transport only, destination duty and taxes excluded; batteries and powered accessories must be removed from the shipment |
Earlier quotations held in our log (2023–2025)
2023 FCL (7 entries), 2024 FCL (21 entries), 2025 FCL (93 entries). Ask our desk for the dated archive if you need to benchmark an earlier period.
Frequently asked questions — shipping from China
The answers below are drawn from the same quotation log as the tables above. Figures are indicative and are reconfirmed at booking.
How much does a 20GP container from Guangzhou (Nansha) or Shenzhen (Shekou) in China to Sokhna cost?
In our quotation log for January to September 2026 the 20GP rate to Sokhna ran from USD 2,500 – USD 5,600 per container across 102 quotations, loaded mainly at Nansha / Shekou. Other gateways priced in the same period: Alexandria at USD 4,200 – USD 5,700; Port Said at USD 3,025 – USD 5,100; Damietta at USD 3,125. Ocean freight is quoted port-to-port and the figure moves with the weekly GRI, peak-season surcharges and equipment availability, so treat it as a benchmark rather than a fixed tariff and confirm it against your cargo ready date.
What is the 40ft / 40HQ rate from China to Sokhna?
The 40ft and 40HQ quotations we logged to Sokhna in January to September 2026 ranged from USD 3,500 – USD 7,950 per container across 109 quotations. Other gateways priced in the same period: Alexandria at USD 5,400 – USD 6,900; Port Said at USD 3,950 – USD 9,100. A 40ft high cube carries roughly twice the volume of a 20GP for well under twice the freight, so once your cargo passes about 28 CBM the 40HQ is normally the cheaper unit per cubic metre.
Is container space available from China to Egypt right now?
Yes. During 2026 we logged 16 offers to Egypt where equipment or space was available to the desk while the carrier kept the freight rate on request (mostly to Sokhna, Alexandria, Port Said). That pattern usually means space is open but the tariff is being quoted case by case. Send your cargo ready date and we will come back with the vessel, the sailing and a named price.
How long does shipping from China to Egypt take?
Typical port-to-port sailing time from South China is 22 to 34 days; add three to seven days if the cargo loads in North China. Direct services beat transhipment routings by one to two weeks, and schedule reliability, blank sailings and port congestion all move the date. We confirm the actual ETD and ETA against your booking rather than quoting a standard transit time.
What is included in the freight rates shown on this page?
Ocean and rail figures are the port-to-port (or terminal-to-terminal) freight only. They exclude origin handling, export customs, THC and CFS, documentation, destination THC, import duty and final delivery, unless the row names a door-to-door or DDP service. Air figures are airport-to-airport per chargeable kilo and exclude pick-up and delivery. Every figure is indicative until it is confirmed against a specific vessel, flight or train and a cargo ready date.
Can I ship less than a container load (LCL) from China to Egypt?
Yes. LCL groupage is charged per revenue tonne (1 CBM or 1,000 kg, with volume weight taken if it is greater) plus fixed documentation and CFS charges, so it is usually the better option below roughly 15 CBM. Above that a 20GP starts to win on cost per cubic metre. Give us the volume, weight and cargo readiness and we will price both side by side for Egypt.
How do I get an exact quote for shipping to Egypt?
Send the commodity, gross weight, volume, the pick-up city in China and the delivery address in Egypt to sales007@goodhopefreight.com. We reply with the applicable service, the named vessel, flight or train, the cut-off and an all-in cost, usually the same working day. If you are weighing up routes, tell us the ready date and we will price sea, rail and air side by side.
Rates, surcharges, cut-offs and equipment availability change daily. Send your commodity, gross weight, volume, the pickup city in China and the delivery address in Egypt and we will confirm the applicable service, sailing or flight and the all-in cost: sales007@goodhopefreight.com.
