# Cowes Harbour (GB COW)

**UN/LOCODE:** GB COW  
**Country:** United Kingdom  
**Water Body:** English Channel; North Atlantic Ocean  
**Harbor Size:** Small  
**Harbor Type:** River (Natural)  
**GPS:** 50.7667, -1.3000

Around three million passengers, plus freight and coaches, pass through Cowes each year, making this harbour at the mouth of the River Medina the Isle of Wight's main gateway. For forwarders the key service is roll-on/roll-off: Red Funnel's dedicated freight ferry Red Kestrel offers 265 lane metres of RoRo capacity on the East Cowes–Southampton route, keeping the island supplied with trailers and general cargo year-round. The harbour, managed by the Cowes Harbour Commission, is equally defined by yacht building, ship repair and a long marine-engineering tradition. It is not a container or deep-sea port; conventional boxes and ocean cargo are handled at nearby Southampton, from which the island is fed by ferry. Operators moving project loads for the marine sector, or RoRo traffic to the Isle of Wight, will find Cowes the natural call. Mainland container shippers, by contrast, should plan around Southampton.

## Transit Times & Routes

- [London → Shanghai](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/london-shanghai)
- [London → Shenzhen](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/london-shenzhen)
- [London → Guangzhou](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/london-guangzhou)
- [London → Hong Kong](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/london-hong-kong)
- [London → Tokyo](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/london-tokyo)
- [London → Busan](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/london-busan)

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*Freight Academy — Seaport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/cowes-port-gb-cow](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/cowes-port-gb-cow)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/cowes-port-gb-cow](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/cowes-port-gb-cow)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/seaports/cowes-port-gb-cow/llm-summary?lang=en*