Port-to-port sea distance
Ras Tanura to Rotterdam distance
The sea distance from Ras Tanura (Saudi Arabia) to Rotterdam (Netherlands) is about 6,480 nautical miles (12,001 km), via the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Strait of Gibraltar and Dover Strait. At 12 knots that is about 22 days 12 hours at sea.
Distance
6,480 nm
12,001 km
Sea days @ 12 kn
22.5
22 days 12 hours
ECA miles
2,460 nm
38% of the route
Canals & straits
5
Strait of Hormuz · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · Dover Strait
Sea days by speed
| Speed | One way | Round voyage |
|---|---|---|
| 10 knots | 27.0 days | 54.0 days |
| 11 knots | 24.5 days | 49.1 days |
| 12 knots | 22.5 days | 45.0 days |
| 13 knots | 20.8 days | 41.5 days |
| 14 knots | 19.3 days | 38.6 days |
| 15 knots | 18.0 days | 36.0 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
6,480 nm
22.5 days at 12 kn · Strait of Hormuz · Bab-el-Mandeb · Suez Canal · Strait of Gibraltar · Dover Strait · 2,460 nm in ECA
See it on the mapVia the Cape of Good Hope (avoiding Suez and the Red Sea)
11,265 nm+4,785 nm
39.1 days at 12 kn · Strait of Hormuz · Dover Strait · 438 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 11,265 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 4,785 nm (about 16.6 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 Rotterdam by sea?
The sea distance from Ras Tanura to Rotterdam is about 6,480 nautical miles (12,001 km), via the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Strait of Gibraltar and Dover Strait.
How long does a tanker take to sail from Ras Tanura to Rotterdam?
About 22 days 12 hours at 12 knots, or 19.3 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–Rotterdam route pass?
The shortest route passes the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, Suez Canal, Strait of Gibraltar and Dover Strait. 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 2,460 nm, or 38% 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 Rotterdam
- Hound Point to Rotterdam377 nm
- Sture to Rotterdam533 nm
- Mongstad to Rotterdam543 nm
- Sullom Voe to Rotterdam599 nm
- Ust-Luga to Rotterdam1,221 nm
- Primorsk to Rotterdam1,265 nm
- Arzew to Rotterdam1,642 nm
- Skikda to Rotterdam2,001 nm
- Mellitah to Rotterdam2,493 nm
- Marsa El Brega to Rotterdam2,807 nm
- Ras Lanuf to Rotterdam2,807 nm
- Es Sider to Rotterdam2,828 nm