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Vessbook

Port-to-port sea distance

Houston to Sikka distance

The sea distance from Houston (United States) to Sikka (India) is about 9,658 nautical miles (17,886 km), via the Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb. At 12 knots that is about 33 days 13 hours at sea.

Distance

9,658 nm

17,886 km

Sea days @ 12 kn

33.5

33 days 13 hours

ECA miles

3,911 nm

41% of the route

Canals & straits

3

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

Sea days by speed

SpeedOne wayRound voyage
10 knots40.2 days80.5 days
11 knots36.6 days73.2 days
12 knots33.5 days67.1 days
13 knots31.0 days61.9 days
14 knots28.7 days57.5 days
15 knots26.8 days53.7 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

9,658 nm

33.5 days at 12 kn · Strait of Gibraltar · Suez Canal · Bab-el-Mandeb · 3,911 nm in ECA

See it on the map

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

12,201 nm+2,543 nm

42.4 days at 12 kn · no canals or straits · 1,068 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 12,201 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 2,543 nm (about 8.8 days at 12 knots).

Voyage estimates by ship size

About this trade

US Gulf crude exports. US shale crude out of Corpus Christi, Houston and the LOOP to Europe and Asia, often reverse-lightered onto VLCCs offshore.

Typical ship sizes
VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax
Related benchmark routes
TD22 (USG–China VLCC), TD25 (USG–UKC Aframax)

Questions

How far is Houston from Sikka by sea?

The sea distance from Houston to Sikka is about 9,658 nautical miles (17,886 km), via the Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb.

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

About 33 days 13 hours at 12 knots, or 28.7 days at 14 knots. That is steaming time only; add time for port calls, canal transits and weather.

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

The shortest route passes the 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 3,911 nm, or 41% 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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