Yokohama to Mersin shipping route.

The shipping route from Yokohama, Japan to Mersin, Türkiye covers 8,378 nautical miles port to port, via Suez Canal. On a globe the two ports sit 8,865 km apart, so the ship sails 1.75 times the straight line distance. On the way the vessel passes Suez Canal, Bab-el-Mandeb and Strait of Malacca, so canal transit fees and waiting time at the canal are part of every voyage.

At sea, the voyage lasts 29.1 days at 12 knots, 24.9 days at 14 knots and 19.4 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 Yokohama and Mersin to plan the full ocean transit time.

The shortest route goes through the Red Sea. Since attacks on shipping began there in late 2023, many carriers send ships via Panama Canal instead. That route is 14,164 nautical miles, 5,786 more, and adds about 17.2 days at 14 knots. Longer voyages burn more fuel and tie up more ships, which is why freight rates on Red Sea lanes jumped when the diversions started.

371 nm of the route, 4% of it, lies inside 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 Yokohama to Mersin move with fuel prices, ship capacity and the season. Compare several carriers before booking: the cheapest sailing is often the slowest one. At Mersin (TRMER) 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 64 port to port routes from Yokohama in this directory, Mersin is the 39th shortest. Closer destinations include Cartagena (8,138 nm), Port Said (8,007 nm) and Balboa (7,810 nm).