Jebel Ali to Balboa shipping route.

Jebel Ali to Balboa is a 9,264 nautical mile shipping route via Suez Canal, heading north west from the United Arab Emirates to Panama. That is 17,157 km of water against 13,817 km as the crow flies. On the way the vessel passes Strait of Gibraltar, Panama Canal, Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

At sea, the voyage lasts 32.2 days at 12 knots, 27.6 days at 14 knots and 21.4 days at 18 knots. Container transit time on a liner service is longer than the steaming time: ships call at other ports on the rotation, and cargo may transship at a hub. Add terminal time at Jebel Ali and Balboa to plan the full ocean transit time.

Red Sea security changes the sea distance on this lane. A ship sent via Cape of Good Hope sails 11,328 nm instead of 9,264 nm and spends roughly 6.1 extra days at sea. Ask your forwarder which routing the carrier uses: the booking price and the arrival date both depend on it.

2,083 nm of the route, 22% of it, lies inside US Caribbean Sea ECA and Mediterranean Sea ECA. In an emission control area ships must burn fuel with no more than 0.1% sulphur or clean the exhaust with scrubbers. That fuel costs more, and carriers add it to the ocean freight bill as a low sulphur or ECA surcharge.

Container freight rates on Jebel Ali to Balboa move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Balboa (PABLB) carriers give about 7 free days before demurrage and detention charges start, so plan the truck or rail pickup before the box lands.

Of the 65 port to port routes from Jebel Ali in this directory, Balboa is the 58th shortest. Closer destinations include Cartagena (9,023 nm), Buenos Aires (8,591 nm) and Savannah (8,580 nm).