Sea lane
Encyclopedia
A sea lane or shipping lane is a regularly used route for ocean
-going and Great Lakes
vessels
. In the time of sailing ships they were not only determined by the distribution of land masses but also the prevailing winds, whose discovery was crucial for the success of long voyages. Sea lanes are very important for trade
by sea.
steamer
Artic by collision
with the French steamer 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 Saliling 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, 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. It is well known that the trade winds allowed ships to sail towards the west quickly, and that 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.
It should be noted however, that the sea lanes were chosen based on the importance of cities as well, which could explain some anomalies towards the currents/winds, such as the fact that the shipping lanes are not optimally chosen for the route from Cape town towards Rio de Janeiro (passing Tristan da Cunha).
As they were very important lanes, they were popular places for pirates.
In World War I
as German U-boat
s began hitting American
and British
shipping
, the Allied
trade vessels began to move out of the sea lanes to be escorted by Naval ship
s.
Shipping lanes are the most busy 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.
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
-going and Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
vessels
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
. In the time of sailing ships they were not only determined by the distribution of land masses but also the prevailing winds, whose discovery was crucial for the success of long voyages. Sea lanes are very important for trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
by sea.
History
The establishment of the North Atlantic sea lanes was inspired by the sinking of the US mailMail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
Artic by collision
Collision
A collision is an isolated event which two or more moving bodies exert forces on each other for a relatively short time.Although the most common colloquial use of the word "collision" refers to accidents in which two or more objects collide, the scientific use of the word "collision" implies...
with the French steamer 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 Saliling Directions proposing sea lanes along the 42 degree latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
. 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
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
, White Star
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
, Inman
Inman Line
The Inman Line which operated from 1850 until its 1893 absorption into American Line, was one of the three largest 19th century British passenger shipping companies on the North Atlantic, along with the White Star Line and Cunard Line...
, National, and Guion lines. In 1913-1914 the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea is an international maritime safety treaty. The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships.- History :The first version of the...
held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
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. It is well known that the trade winds allowed ships to sail towards the west quickly, and that 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.
It should be noted however, that the sea lanes were chosen based on the importance of cities as well, which could explain some anomalies towards the currents/winds, such as the fact that the shipping lanes are not optimally chosen for the route from Cape town towards Rio de Janeiro (passing Tristan da Cunha).
As they were very important lanes, they were popular places for pirates.
In World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s began hitting American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
, the Allied
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
trade vessels began to move out of the sea lanes to be escorted by Naval ship
Naval ship
A naval ship is a ship used for combat purposes, commonly by a navy. Naval ships are differentiated from civilian ships by construction and purpose...
s.
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, any vessel that is not engaged in trading, or is smaller than a certain length, is best to avoid the lanes. This is not only because the slight chance of a collision with a large ship 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. As (unlike with road traffic), there is no exact "road" a ship must follow, this can easily be done.Shipping lanes are the most busy 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
Although the shipping lanes are useful, they do pose threats to some people:- Divers should stay clear of shipping lanes when performing dives.
- Small boats also do best to avoid the lanes.
- As the shipping lanes are very large, sections of the lane exist which can be shallow or have some kind of obstruction (e.g. sand bank). This threat is greatest when passing some narrows, such as between islands in the Indian ocean (e.g. near 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 off IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and the waters off SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
are notorious piratePiracyPiracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
havens, and passing ships run a risk of being attacked and held for ransom.