Skip to main content

Sea distances between major world ports

Explore 4950 port-to-port sea distances covering the 100 most connected container ports worldwide. Every distance is measured along real commercial shipping lanes and comes with a route map, estimated transit times and the chokepoints crossed.

Port-to-port routes
4,950
Ports covered
100
Method
Real shipping lanes (searoute)

Maritime chokepoints

Canals and straits concentrate most of global container traffic. Explore each chokepoint, its key facts and the routes that depend on it.

Suez Canal
1341 routes covered
Panama Canal
570 routes covered
Strait of Malacca
1388 routes covered
Strait of Gibraltar
1204 routes covered
Strait of Hormuz
575 routes covered
Bab-el-Mandeb Strait
1328 routes covered

Major trade lanes

The world’s main container corridors: routes, distances, transit times and the chokepoints they depend on.

Asia – Europe
225 routes covered · 9,333 nm
Transpacific
189 routes covered · 9,180 nm
Asia – Middle East
176 routes covered · 4,480 nm
Asia – Oceania
126 routes covered · 4,737 nm
Asia – Latin America
270 routes covered · 10,196 nm

Frequently asked questions

How are these sea distances calculated?

Distances are computed with searoute, an open-source routing engine that follows real commercial shipping lanes, instead of a simple straight-line (great-circle) measure. This mirrors the path vessels actually sail, including canals and straits.

What is the difference between nautical miles and kilometers?

One nautical mile equals 1.852 kilometers. Maritime distances are expressed in nautical miles because one nautical mile corresponds to one minute of latitude, which makes navigation calculations easier.

How do I estimate the transit time between two ports?

Divide the distance in nautical miles by the vessel speed in knots to get hours at sea. Container ships typically cruise at 14 to 18 knots; each route page includes a ready-made speed table plus port and chokepoint details.

Safecube
by Sinay
Product
Track your containers on this route in real time

Safecube gives you door-to-door visibility on container shipments, with live vessel positions and predictive ETAs on every trade lane.

Discover Safecube (opens in a new tab)