OESA Research · Shipping
Voyage calculator
What does it cost to carry a cargo from A to B? Choose the ports and the ship, and the calculator works out the route, the time and the costs, and compares it with the way round.
Route and voyage cost
Estimate
About the voyage calculator
The voyage calculator finds the shortest sea route between the ports in Eurostat's maritime network and what the voyage costs for ten common ship types, from MR product tankers and LNG carriers to VLCCs, Capesize bulk carriers and 24,000 TEU containerships.
The cost covers fuel (with low-sulphur fuel in ECAs), Suez and Panama canal dues, port calls, war-risk premium, EU ETS and the ship's time. For tankers and bulk carriers it also works out freight income from Worldscale or USD per tonne, and what the ship earns per day (TCE). Every rate is listed with source and date, and the market can be set to «now» or «normal» (2025).
The terms in the calculator
Worldscale (WS)
Tanker freight is quoted in Worldscale points. Each route has a flat rate in USD per tonne that is reset every year; WS 100 means the flat rate, WS 150 means 1.5 times the flat rate. Income is WS / 100 × flat rate × cargo. The tables are licensed, so the calculator uses figures from the press.
Day rate (TCE)
What a ship earns per day after voyage costs are deducted (time charter equivalent). The calculator uses the day rate as the price of the ship's time: a voyage that takes five days longer costs five extra day rates.
Bunkers: VLSFO and MGO
Ship fuel. VLSFO is fuel oil with at most 0.5% sulphur, used on the open sea. MGO is a lighter, more expensive marine gasoil with under 0.1% sulphur, required in ECAs and at berth in the EU.
ECA
Emission Control Area: sea areas with stricter sulphur limits, such as the North Sea, the Baltic, the North American coast and the Mediterranean (from May 2025). Ships must use fuel with at most 0.1% sulphur there.
EU ETS
The EU's carbon trading system. From 2026, shipowners must buy allowances for all emissions on voyages between two EU/EEA ports and at berth, and for half the emissions on voyages into or out of the EU/EEA.
Canal dues
The Suez Canal charges by the ship's Suez net tonnage, in special drawing rights (SDR), with surcharges that change with the market. The Panama Canal charges by size and cargo, and has separate locks for the largest ships (Neopanamax).
War risk
Insurers charge an additional premium for sailing through areas with war or attacks, such as the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. The premium is a percentage of the ship's value for each transit.
Ballast
A voyage without cargo, to get back to where the next cargo will be loaded. The ship sits higher in the water and uses a little less fuel, but earns nothing on the voyage.
Speed and consumption
Consumption rises quickly with speed. Sailing slower (slow steaming) saves fuel but takes longer. The cheapest speed depends on the fuel price against the day rate.
VLCC, Suezmax and Capesize
Size classes. A VLCC carries about 2 million barrels of crude and is too deep for the Suez Canal when fully laden. A Suezmax is the largest tanker that transits Suez laden. Capesize bulk carriers are too big for Panama and sail round the Cape of Good Hope.
Questions and answers
How far is it by ship from the Persian Gulf to China?
From Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia to Ningbo in China, the shortest sea route is about 6,080 nautical miles, through the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca. A VLCC at 12 knots takes around 21 days at sea. This is the Baltic Exchange route TD3C, the most important crude oil route.
How much longer is it round the Cape of Good Hope than through the Suez Canal?
It depends on the route. From Ras Tanura to Rotterdam it is about 6,490 nautical miles through the Suez Canal and 11,350 round the Cape of Good Hope, nearly 4,900 nautical miles or about 17 days more at 12 knots. The calculator shows the difference in time, fuel, canal dues, war risk and CO₂ for each route.
How much does a Suez Canal transit cost?
The Suez Canal charges by the ship's Suez net tonnage, in special drawing rights (SDR), with surcharges that change with the market. With the surcharges from July 2026, a laden Suezmax pays about USD 570,000 and a VLCC in ballast about USD 700,000. Tugs, pilots and agency come on top. A fully laden VLCC is too deep for the canal.
Is the Northern Sea Route open?
It depends on the ice. Arctic sea ice is smallest in September and largest in March. The calculator shows the ice from satellite data (OSI SAF via the Norwegian Meteorological Institute) and checks whether a route through the Northern Sea Route is ice-free, has scattered ice or dense ice. The route runs along Russia's coast, requires a Russian permit and has hardly been used by Western shipowners since 2022.
How much shorter is the Northern Sea Route between Europe and China?
From Rotterdam to Shanghai it is about 8,180 nautical miles through the Northern Sea Route against 10,720 through the Suez Canal, around 2,500 nautical miles or seven days shorter at 16 knots. Ice, ice class, icebreaker fees and sanctions decide whether the route can be used.
What is Worldscale?
Worldscale is the system tanker freight rates are quoted in. Each route has a flat rate in USD per tonne that is reset every year; WS 100 means the flat rate and WS 150 means one and a half times the flat rate. Freight income is WS / 100 × flat rate × cargo.
What is TCE?
TCE (time charter equivalent) is what a ship earns per day after voyage costs: (freight income − fuel, port, canal and ETS) / days. It makes voyages of different length comparable, and lets you compare a voyage with chartering the ship out on a day rate.
How does the EU ETS affect shipping?
From 2026, shipowners must buy allowances for 100% of CO₂ emissions on voyages between two EU and EEA ports and at berth there, and for 50% on voyages into or out of the EU and EEA. Norway and Iceland are included through the EEA Agreement. The calculator prices the cost at today's allowance price.