A sea lane, sea road or shipping lane is a regularly used navigable route for large

water vessel Any vehicle used in or on water as well as underwater, including boats, ships, hovercraft and submarines, is a watercraft, also known as a water vessel or waterborne vessel. A watercraft usually has a propulsive capability (whether by sail, ...

s ( ships) on wide waterways such as oceans and large lakes, and is preferably safe, direct and economic. During the

Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid- 15th) to the mid- 19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the introduction of naval ...

, they were determined by the distribution of

land mass A landmass, or land mass, is a large region or area of land. The term is often used to refer to lands surrounded by an ocean or sea, such as a continent or a large island. In the field of geology, a landmass is a defined section of continental ...

es but also by the prevailing winds, whose discovery was crucial for the success of long maritime voyages. Sea lanes are very important for seaborne trade.

History

The establishment of the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

sea lanes was inspired by the sinking of the US mail steamer SS ''Arctic'' by collision with the French steamer SS ''Vesta'' in October 1854 which resulted in the loss of over 300 lives. Lieutenant M. F. Maury of the US Navy first published a section titled "Steam Lanes Across the Atlantic" in his 1855 ''Sailing Directions'' proposing sea lanes along the 42 degree latitude. A number of international conferences and committees were held in 1866, 1872, 1887, 1889, and 1891 all of which left the designation of sea lanes to the principal trans-Atlantic steamship companies at the time; Cunard, White Star, Inman,

National Line The National Line, formally named the National Steam Navigation Company, was a British passenger line that operated steamship service in the North Atlantic Ocean in the late 19th century. The company was founded in 1863, with the intention of ser ...

, and Guion Lines. In 1913–1914 the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea held in London again reaffirmed that the selection of routes across the Atlantic in both directions is left to the responsibility of the steamship companies. Shipping lanes came to be by analysing the prevailing winds. The trade winds allowed ships to sail towards the west quickly, and the westerlies allowed ships to travel to the east quickly. As such, the sea lanes are mostly chosen to take full advantage of these winds. Currents are also similarly followed as well, which also gives an advantage to the vessel. Some routes, such as that from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro (passing Tristan da Cunha), were not able to take advantage of these natural factors. Main sea lanes may also attract pirates. '' Pax Britannica'' was the period from 1815–1914 during which the British Royal Navy controlled most of the key maritime trade routes, and also suppressed piracy and the slave trade. During World War I, as German U-boats began hitting

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and British shipping, the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

trade vessels began to move out of the usual sea lanes to be escorted by naval ships.

Advantages

Although most ships no longer use sails (having switched them for engines), the wind still creates waves, and this can cause heeling. As such following the overall direction of the trade winds and westerlies is still very useful. However, it is best for any vessel that is not engaged in trading, or is smaller than a certain length, to avoid the lanes. This is not only because the slight chance of a collision with a large ship that can easily cause a smaller ship to sink, but also because large vessels are much less maneuverable than smaller ships, and need much more depth. Smaller ships can thus easily take courses that are nearer to the shore. Unlike with road traffic, there is no exact "road" a ship must follow, so this can easily be done. Shipping lanes are the busiest parts of the sea, thus being a useful place for stranded boaters whose boats are sinking or people on a liferaft to boat to, and be rescued by a passing ship.

Threats from shipping lanes

Shipping lanes may pose threats to some ocean-going craft. Small boats risk conflicts with bigger ships if they follow the shipping lanes. Sections of lanes exist which can be shallow or have some kind of obstruction (such as

sand bank In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...

s). This threat is greatest when passing some narrows, such as between islands in the Indian Ocean (e.g. in Indonesia) as well as between islands in the Pacific (e.g. near the Marquesas islands, Tahiti) Some shipping lanes, such as the

Straits of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...

off Indonesia and Malaysia, and the waters off Somalia, are frequented by

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

operating independently or as

privateers A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

(for companies and countries). Passing ships run the risk of being attacked and held for ransom.

Busiest shipping lanes

The world's busiest shipping lane is the Dover Strait. 500–600 vessels per day traverse the narrow strait and in 1999 1.4 billion tonnes gross, carried by 62,500 vessels passed through the strait.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sea Lane Lane Lane Trade routes

History

Advantages

Threats from shipping lanes

Busiest shipping lanes

See also

References