Port-to-port sea distance
Sullom Voe to Ningbo distance
The sea distance from Sullom Voe (United Kingdom) to Ningbo (China) is about 10,840 nautical miles (20,076 km), via the Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb and Malacca Strait. At 12 knots that is about 37 days 15 hours at sea.
Distance
10,840 nm
20,076 km
Sea days @ 12 kn
37.6
37 days 15 hours
ECA miles
2,111 nm
19% of the route
Canals & straits
4
Strait of Gibraltar · Suez Canal · Bab-el-Mandeb · Malacca Strait
Sea days by speed
| Speed | One way | Round voyage |
|---|---|---|
| 10 knots | 45.2 days | 90.3 days |
| 11 knots | 41.1 days | 82.1 days |
| 12 knots | 37.6 days | 75.3 days |
| 13 knots | 34.7 days | 69.5 days |
| 14 knots | 32.3 days | 64.5 days |
| 15 knots | 30.1 days | 60.2 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
10,840 nm
37.6 days at 12 kn · Strait of Gibraltar · Suez Canal · Bab-el-Mandeb · Malacca Strait · 2,111 nm in ECA
See it on the mapVia the Cape of Good Hope (avoiding Suez and the Red Sea)
13,559 nm+2,718 nm
47.1 days at 12 kn · Panama Canal · 1,224 nm in ECA
See it on the mapAvoiding the Malacca Strait (via Sunda or Lombok)
11,378 nm+537 nm
39.5 days at 12 kn · Strait of Gibraltar · Suez Canal · Bab-el-Mandeb · Sunda Strait · 2,111 nm in ECA
See it on the mapVia the Cape (avoiding both Suez and Panama)
14,128 nm+3,288 nm
49.1 days at 12 kn · Sunda Strait · 68 nm in ECA
See it on the map- Since early 2024 many owners have kept their ships out of the Red Sea. Routing via the Cape of Good Hope adds 2,718 nm (about 9.4 days at 12 knots).
- Very deep-draft ships sometimes avoid the Malacca and Singapore straits and go through the Lombok or Sunda strait instead, which adds 537 nm (about 1.9 days at 12 knots).
Voyage estimates by ship size
About this trade
North Sea crude. North Sea grades loaded at Sullom Voe, Hound Point, Mongstad and Sture, moved short-haul into Europe or arbitraged long-haul to Asia.
- Typical ship sizes
- Aframax, Suezmax
Questions
How far is Sullom Voe from Ningbo by sea?
The sea distance from Sullom Voe to Ningbo is about 10,840 nautical miles (20,076 km), via the Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb and Malacca Strait.
How long does a tanker take to sail from Sullom Voe to Ningbo?
About 37 days 15 hours at 12 knots, or 32.3 days at 14 knots. That is steaming time only; add time for port calls, canal transits and weather.
Which canals and straits does the Sullom Voe–Ningbo route pass?
The shortest route passes the Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb and Malacca 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 2,111 nm, or 19% 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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