Port-to-port sea distance

Basrah Oil Terminal to Fos-sur-Mer distance

The sea distance from Basrah Oil Terminal (Iraq) to Fos-sur-Mer (France) is about 4,877 nautical miles (9,032 km), via the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb and Suez Canal. At 12 knots that is about 16 days 22 hours at sea.

Distance

4,877 nm

9,032 km

Sea days @ 12 kn

16.9

16 days 22 hours

ECA miles

1,628 nm

33% of the route

Canals & straits

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

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Sea days by speed

Speed	One way	Round voyage
10 knots	20.3 days	40.6 days
11 knots	18.5 days	36.9 days
12 knots	16.9 days	33.9 days
13 knots	15.6 days	31.3 days
14 knots	14.5 days	29.0 days
15 knots	13.5 days	27.1 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

4,877 nm

16.9 days at 12 kn · Strait of Hormuz · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · 1,628 nm in ECA

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

11,053 nm+6,176 nm

38.4 days at 12 kn · Strait of Hormuz · Strait of Gibraltar · 735 nm in ECA

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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 11,053 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 6,176 nm (about 21.4 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 Fos-sur-Mer by sea?

The sea distance from Basrah Oil Terminal to Fos-sur-Mer is about 4,877 nautical miles (9,032 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 Fos-sur-Mer?

About 16 days 22 hours at 12 knots, or 14.5 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–Fos-sur-Mer 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 1,628 nm, or 33% 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.