Canada and Germany enjoy a close and friendly partnership. Germany, the largest EU economy and the fourth largest in the world, is a key economic partner for Canada. It is Canada’s largest export market in the EU and its fifth-largest trading partner globally. Germany’s top exports to Canada include vehicles, machinery, pharmaceuticals, and optical products. Let us explore the methods of shipping from Germany to Canada.
Shipping from Germany to Canada
Sea transport from Germany to Canada
Sea freight is the cheapest mode of transport for shipping large quantities of goods. Unfortunately, it is also much slower than air freight. There are two types of sea shipments: FCL and LCL. FCL (Full Container Load) means your goods fill an entire container. LCL (Less than a Container Load) means your goods do not fill an entire container and will be shipped along with other shippers’ cargo. LCL takes longer since the cargo has to be consolidated.
How long does sea shipping from Germany to Canada take?
Standard transit times for FCL and LCL shipping between Germany and Canada are 15‑25 days for FCL and 22-40 days for LCL.
Major ports in Germany:
- Port of Hamburg is a seaport on the Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, 110 kilometers from its mouth on the North Sea. Known as Germany’s “Gateway to the World” (Tor zur Welt), it is the country’s largest seaport by volume. It is in the top 20 biggest seaports in the world.
- Ports of Bremen, “Bremische Häfen” in German, consist of the commercial ports in Bremen and Bremerhaven.
- JadeWeserPort is Germany’s largest harbor project. This new container port is located at Wilhelmshaven, in Jade Bight, a bay on the North Sea coast.
- Rostock Port is a large German port on the Baltic Sea. It is located in the city of Rostock on the Unterwarnow estuary.
Major ports in Canada:
- Port of Vancouver is the largest port in Canada and the fourth largest in North America by tons of cargo, facilitating trade between Canada and more than 170 economies.
- Port of Montreal is a cruise and trans-shipment point located on the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, Québec, Canada. The port operates as an international container port where it services Toronto and the rest of Central Canada,
- Port of Prince Rupert is the third busiest seaport in Canada by container volume and cargo tonnage after the Port of Vancouver and Port of Montreal.
- Port of Halifax, strategically located as North America’s first inbound and last outbound gateway, is a naturally deep, wide, ice-free harbor with minimal tides. The port is two days closer to Europe than any other North American East Coast port.
Air shipping from Germany to Canada
When you have goods that need urgent transport from Germany to Canada, air freight is your fastest and safest option. However, air freight shipping is much more expensive than sea freight. You should choose air freight when your freight is fragile or perishable and benefits from the shortest transit time possible.
How long does air freight from Germany to Canada take?
Air freight from Germany to Canada takes 3-8 days.
Major airports in Germany:
- Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is a major international airport located in Frankfurt. It’s the busiest airport by passenger traffic in Germany as well as the 4th busiest in Europe, after London Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
- Munich Airport (MUC) is an international airport serving Munich and Upper Bavaria. It is the second busiest airport in Germany in terms of passenger traffic.
- Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) is an international airport in Schönefeld, located south of the German capital Berlin in the state of Brandenburg. The new airport replaced Templehof and Tegel airports and became the single commercial airport serving Berlin and the surrounding State of Brandenburg.
- Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) is the international airport of Düsseldorf, the capital of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Düsseldorf is home to the fourth largest airport in Germany.
- Hamburg Airport (HAM) is a major international airport in Hamburg, the second-largest city in Germany. Hamburg Airport is Germany’s fifth busiest commercial airport.
Major airports in Canada:
- Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is an international airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surrounding region known as the Golden Horseshoe.
- Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is the second busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic (7.1 million), behind Toronto Pearson International Airport. It is often described as a trans-Pacific hub, with more direct flights to China than any other airport in North America or Europe.
- Calgary International Airport (YYC) is the busiest airport in Alberta and the third busiest in Canada by passenger traffic.
- Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL) is the busiest airport in the province of Quebec and the fourth-busiest airport in Canada by passenger traffic. It is one of the main gateways into Canada.
- Edmonton International Airport (YEG) is Canada’s largest major airport by total land area, covering just under 7.000 acres, the 5th busiest airport by passenger traffic, and the 9th busiest by aircraft movements.
Shipping from Germany to Canada – freight rates
Shipping cost depends on many factors. Prices from different forwarders vary. The best way to find a perfect solution for you is to compare offers from multiple freight forwarders. ShipHub.co is a great platform to compare freight shipping rates. All you have to do is fill in the form from the website to get a free quote.
