Container slot cost calculator

What does a slot really cost on this voyage? See the cost per TEU from the voyage's real costs, not a rule of thumb.

Slot costing from the real voyage

A slot cost is only as good as the voyage behind it. Stowlines starts from the full voyage: the route, the days, the bunkers, the port costs, the canal dues and the hire. The cost per TEU follows, so the slot cost moves when the voyage does.

It works for a container ship on a long-haul service and for a feeder on a short regional rotation.

Set it against the freight

Add the TEU loaded and the freight rate of each leg and the slot cost sits beside the revenue per TEU and the profit or loss per TEU, showing which legs and which rates pay.

Compare vessels and capacity

Each vessel has its own TEU capacity and its own cost to run, so a larger ship is not always cheaper per slot. Compare vessels on one trade to see which gives the better slot cost.

Container vessel slot economics, sailing by sailing

Each estimate gives the slot cost per sailing, so the cost per container slot can be followed from one voyage to the next as the fuel price or the rotation moves. The vessel's capacity sits beside the revenue, the utilization and the break-even freight.

Work out the slot cost of your own voyage.

See the Container Voyage Estimator

Popular port distances

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Container Slot Cost Calculator, answered.

How do I calculate container vessel slot cost?

Start from the full cost of the voyage and the vessel's TEU capacity. Enter the vessel, the rotation and the costs in the estimator and it shows the cost per TEU.

What is the shipping cost per TEU?

It is what a TEU slot costs on that voyage, and it changes with the route, the speed, the fuel price and the port costs.

Can I see the cost per container?

The estimator gives the cost per TEU: a 40-foot container takes two TEU.

How can a feeder lower its slot cost?

Try other rotations, speeds and vessels in the comparison, and see which brings the cost per TEU down on your trade.

How do I improve a feeder vessel's utilization?

Enter the Load TEU of each leg and the estimate shows the TEU utilization, and the utilization the voyage needs to break even. Compare rotations and vessels to see which fills the ship better for its cost.