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Port-to-port sea distance

Basrah Oil Terminal to Aliaga distance

The sea distance from Basrah Oil Terminal (Iraq) to Aliaga (Turkey) is about 3,925 nautical miles (7,269 km), via the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb and Suez Canal. At 12 knots that is about 13 days 15 hours at sea.

Distance

3,925 nm

7,269 km

Sea days @ 12 kn

13.6

13 days 15 hours

ECA miles

675 nm

17% of the route

Canals & straits

3

Strait of Hormuz · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal

Sea days by speed

SpeedOne wayRound voyage
10 knots16.4 days32.7 days
11 knots14.9 days29.7 days
12 knots13.6 days27.3 days
13 knots12.6 days25.2 days
14 knots11.7 days23.4 days
15 knots10.9 days21.8 days

Steaming time only, with no allowance for weather, canal waiting or port time. The round voyage assumes the ship ballasts back on the same route.

Routes compared

Shortest route

3,925 nm

13.6 days at 12 kn · Strait of Hormuz · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · 675 nm in ECA

See it on the map

Via the Cape of Good Hope (avoiding Suez and the Red Sea)

11,995 nm+8,070 nm

41.6 days at 12 kn · Strait of Hormuz · Strait of Gibraltar · 1,676 nm in ECA

See it on the map
  • A fully laden VLCC is deeper than the Suez Canal's 20.1 m draft limit, so it either goes round the Cape of Good Hope or discharges part of its cargo into the SUMED pipeline first. For a laden VLCC the Cape routing of 11,995 nm is the one to use.
  • Since early 2024 many owners have kept their ships out of the Red Sea. Routing via the Cape of Good Hope adds 8,070 nm (about 28.0 days at 12 knots).

Voyage estimates by ship size

About this trade

Arabian Gulf & Red Sea → Europe & US crude. Westbound Gulf crude into the Mediterranean, North-west Europe and the US. Routing depends on draft and on the Red Sea: fully laden VLCCs go round the Cape, Suezmaxes can transit Suez.

Typical ship sizes
VLCC, Suezmax
Related benchmark routes
TD1 (MEG–USG VLCC), TD23 (MEG–Med Suezmax)

Questions

How far is Basrah Oil Terminal from Aliaga by sea?

The sea distance from Basrah Oil Terminal to Aliaga is about 3,925 nautical miles (7,269 km), via the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb and Suez Canal.

How long does a tanker take to sail from Basrah Oil Terminal to Aliaga?

About 13 days 15 hours at 12 knots, or 11.7 days at 14 knots. That is steaming time only; add time for port calls, canal transits and weather.

Which canals and straits does the Basrah Oil Terminal–Aliaga route pass?

The shortest route passes the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb and Suez Canal. Alternative routings are listed above for ships that cannot or will not use them.

How much of the voyage is inside an Emission Control Area?

About 675 nm, or 17% of the voyage, is inside an ECA, where ships must burn 0.10% sulphur fuel or use a scrubber.

Terms on this page

Distances are calculated by Vessbook on a modelled global shipping-lane network for a tanker at 12 m draft, from berth area to berth area.

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