SHIPPING ROUTES

B Y: M R S A N S H U L A G A RWA L
The importance of maritime shipping
Ocean shipping services transport more than 80 percent of all globally
traded products. In fact, maritime trade is a huge part of what makes the
world go round. The clothes you wear, the vehicle you drive (and the
fuel), the TV you watch, and the cellphone in your hand likely came from
countries like China, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. But, have
you ever thought about the shipping routes ocean vessels take to ensure
a quick and safe delivery?
Major Shipping Routes for Global Trade

The English Channel

Known as the busiest shipping lane in the world, the English Channel separates England from
France, and connects the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The channel is 350 miles long, 20-
150 miles wide, and 150-400 feet deep. Approximately 500 ships travel the channel daily, making
it a critical route in the European shipping network.
Located at the narrowest part of the English Channel is the Strait of Dover, which connects the
Baltic and the North Sea. More than 400 vessels use this strait daily, carrying products like grain,
minerals, steel and oil.
Strait of Malacca  
The Malacca Strait is a narrow 550 miles and is the shortest route between the Pacific and Indian
oceans. It links major Asian economies such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China,
Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. The Strait of Malacca is the world’s second-busiest waterway,
with more than 83,000 vessels traveling this route each year. In 2016, 16 million barrels of oil
 flowed through the strait daily, also making it a major oil chokepoint. Other goods transported
through this strait include coal, palm oil, Indonesian coffee and liquefied natural gas.
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is an artificial passageway designed to reduce transit times between the
Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It’s approximately 50 miles long, 10 miles wide and takes roughly 10
hours to travel (tolls are required). Before its completion in 1914, ships would sail around Cape
Horn at the southern tip of South America — increasing voyages by 2,000 to 8,000 nautical miles
(or about 2,300 to 9,200 miles), depending on origin and destination.
Suez Canal
On November 17, 1869, the 120-mile manually constructed Suez Canal opened, creating the
shortest maritime route between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Without this route, vessels
would have to travel around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope (transit times typically lasting 24 days
compared to the canal’s 16 hours). Today, it’s considered one of the world’s most heavily used
shipping lanes, with more than 100 vessels traversing it daily. In fact, 3.9 million oil barrels per
day transited the Suez Canal in 2016; and in 2017, more than 900,000 tons of cargo traveled
through. Top commodities transported are petroleum, coal, metals, wood, oilseeds, cement and
fertilizers.   
Bosphorus Strait
The Turkish Strait of Bosphorus links the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea, ultimately connecting to
the Atlantic Ocean. It forms a boundary between Europe and Asia and is internationally
significant for oil, commercial and military trade. The strait is 19 miles long, 120-408 feet deep,
and has a maximum width of 2.3 miles. More than 48,000 vessels navigate the Bosphorus each
year, about 132 per day. Common vessels passing through include general cargo ships, bulk
carriers, chemical tankers, containerships, livestock carriers, and liquid petroleum gas carriers.
But, because of the strait’s width and length, there are some vessel restrictions.
Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf of Oman with the Persian Gulf. It consists of two lanes
that accommodate inbound and outbound traffic, and a two-mile buffer zone separates them.
Hormuz is also a critical lane for oil transportation. In 2016, total oil flow increased to a record
high of 18.5 million barrels per day — or, about 30 percent of the world’s total oil consumption.
It’s delivered primarily to Asian markets such as China, Japan, India, South Korea and Singapore.