Port-to-port sea distance
Esmeraldas to Sikka distance
The sea distance from Esmeraldas (Ecuador) to Sikka (India) is about 9,793 nautical miles (18,137 km), via the Panama Canal, Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb. At 12 knots that is about 34 days at sea.
Distance
9,793 nm
18,137 km
Sea days @ 12 kn
34.0
34 days
ECA miles
2,259 nm
23% of the route
Canals & straits
4
Panama Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · Suez Canal · Bab-el-Mandeb
Sea days by speed
| Speed | One way | Round voyage |
|---|---|---|
| 10 knots | 40.8 days | 81.6 days |
| 11 knots | 37.1 days | 74.2 days |
| 12 knots | 34.0 days | 68.0 days |
| 13 knots | 31.4 days | 62.8 days |
| 14 knots | 29.1 days | 58.3 days |
| 15 knots | 27.2 days | 54.4 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
9,793 nm
34.0 days at 12 kn · Panama Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · Suez Canal · Bab-el-Mandeb · 2,259 nm in ECA
See it on the mapVia the Cape of Good Hope (avoiding Suez and the Red Sea)
11,700 nm+1,907 nm
40.6 days at 12 kn · Panama Canal
See it on the mapAvoiding the Panama Canal
12,185 nm+2,392 nm
42.3 days at 12 kn · Strait of Magellan
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 11,700 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 1,907 nm (about 6.6 days at 12 knots).
- The Panama Canal's Neopanamax locks take a maximum draft of 15.2 m, so VLCCs and laden Suezmaxes cannot use it. Without Panama the voyage is 12,185 nm, 2,392 nm (about 8.3 days at 12 knots) longer.
Voyage estimates by ship size
About this trade
Latin America crude. Brazilian pre-salt, Guyanese, Colombian and Ecuadorian crude, shipped to China, the US and Europe.
- Typical ship sizes
- VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax
Questions
How far is Esmeraldas from Sikka by sea?
The sea distance from Esmeraldas to Sikka is about 9,793 nautical miles (18,137 km), via the Panama Canal, Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb.
How long does a tanker take to sail from Esmeraldas to Sikka?
About 34 days at 12 knots, or 29.1 days at 14 knots. That is steaming time only; add time for port calls, canal transits and weather.
Which canals and straits does the Esmeraldas–Sikka route pass?
The shortest route passes the Panama Canal, Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb. 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 2,259 nm, or 23% 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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