Port-to-port sea distance

Houston to Balboa distance

The sea distance from Houston (United States) to Balboa (Panama) is about 1,537 nautical miles (2,846 km), via the Panama Canal. At 12 knots that is about 5 days 8 hours at sea.

Distance

1,537 nm

2,846 km

Sea days @ 12 kn

5.3

5 days 8 hours

ECA miles

491 nm

32% of the route

Canals & straits

Panama Canal

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Sea days by speed

Speed	One way	Round voyage
10 knots	6.4 days	12.8 days
11 knots	5.8 days	11.6 days
12 knots	5.3 days	10.7 days
13 knots	4.9 days	9.9 days
14 knots	4.6 days	9.1 days
15 knots	4.3 days	8.5 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

1,537 nm

5.3 days at 12 kn · Panama Canal · 491 nm in ECA

See it on the map

Voyage estimates by ship size

About this trade

US Gulf clean products. Diesel and gasoline exports from the Texas and Louisiana refining belt to Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, the core MR trade in the Atlantic.

Typical ship sizes: MR, LR1
Related benchmark routes: TC14 (USG–UKC MR), TC21 (USG–Caribbean MR)

Questions

How far is Houston from Balboa by sea?

The sea distance from Houston to Balboa is about 1,537 nautical miles (2,846 km), via the Panama Canal.

How long does a tanker take to sail from Houston to Balboa?

About 5 days 8 hours at 12 knots, or 4.6 days at 14 knots. That is steaming time only; add time for port calls, canal transits and weather.

Which canals and straits does the Houston–Balboa route pass?

The shortest route passes the Panama Canal.

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

About 491 nm, or 32% 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.