Port-to-port sea distance
Ras Tanura to Houston distance
The sea distance from Ras Tanura (Saudi Arabia) to Houston (United States) is about 9,838 nautical miles (18,221 km), via the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal and Strait of Gibraltar. At 12 knots that is about 34 days 4 hours at sea.
Distance
9,838 nm
18,221 km
Sea days @ 12 kn
34.2
34 days 4 hours
ECA miles
3,911 nm
40% of the route
Canals & straits
4
Strait of Hormuz · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar
Sea days by speed
| Speed | One way | Round voyage |
|---|---|---|
| 10 knots | 41.0 days | 82.0 days |
| 11 knots | 37.3 days | 74.5 days |
| 12 knots | 34.2 days | 68.3 days |
| 13 knots | 31.5 days | 63.1 days |
| 14 knots | 29.3 days | 58.6 days |
| 15 knots | 27.3 days | 54.7 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
9,838 nm
34.2 days at 12 kn · Strait of Hormuz · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · 3,911 nm in ECA
See it on the mapVia the Cape of Good Hope (avoiding Suez and the Red Sea)
12,552 nm+2,714 nm
43.6 days at 12 kn · Strait of Hormuz · 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 12,552 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 2,714 nm (about 9.4 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 Ras Tanura from Houston by sea?
The sea distance from Ras Tanura to Houston is about 9,838 nautical miles (18,221 km), via the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal and Strait of Gibraltar.
How long does a tanker take to sail from Ras Tanura to Houston?
About 34 days 4 hours at 12 knots, or 29.3 days at 14 knots. That is steaming time only; add time for port calls, canal transits and weather.
Which canals and straits does the Ras Tanura–Houston route pass?
The shortest route passes the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal and Strait of Gibraltar. 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 40% 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.
More voyages from Ras Tanura
- Ras Tanura to Karachi953 nm
- Ras Tanura to Sikka1,127 nm
- Ras Tanura to Vadinar1,127 nm
- Ras Tanura to New Mangalore1,762 nm
- Ras Tanura to Kochi1,805 nm
- Ras Tanura to Paradip3,070 nm
- Ras Tanura to Chittagong3,310 nm
- Ras Tanura to Pengerang3,739 nm
- Ras Tanura to Singapore3,739 nm
- Ras Tanura to Aliaga3,755 nm
- Ras Tanura to Augusta4,090 nm
- Ras Tanura to Cilacap4,222 nm
More voyages to Houston
- Covenas to Houston1,779 nm
- Esmeraldas to Houston2,048 nm
- Jose to Houston2,103 nm
- Georgetown to Houston2,583 nm
- Le Havre to Houston4,840 nm
- Antwerp to Houston5,011 nm
- Rotterdam to Houston5,013 nm
- Immingham to Houston5,028 nm
- Amsterdam to Houston5,056 nm
- Brofjorden to Houston5,165 nm
- Angra dos Reis to Houston5,429 nm
- Sao Sebastiao to Houston5,607 nm