Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)

Estimated time of arrival, ETA, is the predicted clock time a vessel will reach a stated point: a pilot station, a berth, a waypoint, or a landfall. It is the distance to go divided by the speed made good, added to the time now, stated in a defined standard, usually UTC or zone time, to avoid ambiguity. ETA drives the whole arrival sequence: pilot booking, tide-window planning, berth allocation, and just-in-time arrival to cut fuel by slow steaming. The navigator updates it whenever speed, course, or current changes the speed made good. SOLAS Chapter V voyage planning under Regulation 34 expects the plan to support a realistic ETA at the points that matter for safety.