Clarksons: Average Seaborne Cargo Distance Up 10% Since 2020, Reaching 68 Trillion Tonne-Miles in 2025

Clarksons Research reports that the average distance travelled by seaborne cargo has risen 10% since the start of the decade, a structural shift that is tightening vessel supply because more ships are needed to move the same volumes over longer routes. Global seaborne trade reached 68 trillion tonne-miles in 2025, with the average tonne of cargo now travelling 5,262 nautical miles, well above levels seen across the 2000s and 2010s.

Clarksons attributes the lengthening haul to growth in U.S. energy exports, rising Guinea bauxite shipments, the war in Ukraine, U.S.-China trade tensions, Panama Canal constraints, and disruption around the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. The combined effect has rerouted container, dry-bulk and tanker flows onto longer paths such as the Cape of Good Hope, extending average origin-to-destination voyages. The firm expects average haul to account for 57% of tonne-mile growth between 2020 and 2026 — a marked break from earlier decades when distance played a smaller role.

The pricing impact is sharp. The ClarkSea Index, the headline earnings benchmark for shipping, sits at $41,435 per day, with the year-to-date average up 65% on the year. Because ship supply cannot be expanded in the short run, longer distances feed straight into freight rates; the Asia-Europe container lane is the clearest example, where the Cape of Good Hope detour adds about two weeks of transit and lifts vessel demand for the same annual carrying capacity.

For supply chain operators the data carries three implications. First, route lengthening is pushing companies toward more conservative inventory holding and a just-in-case orientation, since a single corridor disruption now means weeks of production exposure. Second, freight budgets are being shaped by a long-term structural uptick, forcing procurement teams to rebalance multi-year contracts against spot exposure. Third, the longer-haul effect tightening fleet supply is supporting demand for newbuild low-carbon shipping investment, with more LNG, methanol and ammonia dual-fuel orders flowing in to absorb the structural capacity gap.

Key Takeaways:
1. Clarksons Research says average seaborne cargo distance has risen 10% since 2020; total 2025 tonne-miles reached 68 trillion with the average tonne moving 5,262 nautical miles.
2. Drivers include U.S. energy exports, Guinea bauxite shipments, the war in Ukraine, U.S.-China trade tensions, Panama Canal constraints and Red Sea/Hormuz disruption.
3. The ClarkSea Index sits at $41,435 per day, with the year-to-date average up 65% year on year.
4. Average haul is expected to account for 57% of tonne-mile growth between 2020 and 2026.
5. The structural distance effect is pressuring inventory strategy, freight budgets and demand for low-carbon newbuild ships.

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