Mapping a Cargo Ship's Route from Asia to Europe!

Here is a brief routing of how a cargo ship traverses from Asia to Europe and back:

The departure is from the Port of Shanghai, the busiest shipping port in the world; it is strategically located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, efficiently handling both maritime and river traffic. The Yangtze River, the third longest river globally, follows the Nile and the Amazon in length.

When the ship arrives next in Singapore, it docks at the world’s largest transshipment port and the second busiest shipping port globally. Additionally, the Port of Singapore holds the title of the world's largest bunkering port, supplying fuel to vessels.

Then the ship crosses the Strait of Malacca to reach the Indian Ocean.  The Strait of Malacca is situated between Malaysia and Indonesia. Forest fires in the area can significantly reduce visibility for ships traversing the strait due to the heavy smog.

Due to the incidents between the Houthis and the United States, particularly in the Bab El-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea leading to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, ships are now rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope and into the Atlantic Ocean.

Then the ship arrives to Port of Malaga through the Strait of Gibraltar. Malaga was founded by the Phoenicians and derives its name from the Phoenician word "Malaka," likely related to the trade of salted fish during ancient times.  Strait of Gibraltar is named after Tariq ibn Ziyad, a commander of the Umayyad Caliphate, played a key role in establishing Muslim rule in Spain.

The cargo ship sails back to the Port of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. This port actually serves the landlocked countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.  Landlocked countries do not have access to open seas.

The ship retraces its route via the Cape of Good Hope to reach Colombo, Sri Lanka's busiest port.

Back to the Strait of Malacca and then to the Port of Dalian, China. Dalian is situated on the coast of the Bohai Sea, opposite the area where the mighty Yellow River empties into the sea.

This is part of the longer route that the ship sometimes takes, visiting additional ports not mentioned above!