Water Transport: Sea Routes

Water transport is feasible because creating a route isn’t needed for navigating waterways. It is much more affordable as water creates less friction as compared to land. The fuel/energy expenses associated with water transportation are much lower. Water transport can be further classified into inland waterways and sea routes.

Sea Routes

1. The ocean is a vast highway on which navigating in all directions is possible. Also, the maintenance expenses are minimal when it comes to the sea routes
2. Carrying load through water is much more affordable as compared to aerial or land routes. Therefore, it is preferred to carry bulky or heavy items to different continents or distant places
3. Today, both cargo and passenger ships are equipped with all types of navigation tools like wireless, radar, etc
4. Refrigerated cabins can be built for storing perishable goods. Cargo transportation is much easier due to specially designed ships and tankers. Handling heavy cargo can be managed via containers at different ports across the globe

Important Sea Routes

North Atlantic Sea Route

The North Atlantic Sea Route makes navigation between the North-Western region of Europe and the North-Eastern part of the United States smooth. These two are the most industrially developed areas across the globe.

The international trade that happens via this route is much bigger than the combination of all the other routes. Over 1/4th of the foreign trade happens through this sea route. As a result, it becomes the busiest sea route and is also referred to as the Big Trunk Route.

Modern harbour facilities and ports are available on both coasts.

Mediterranean-Indian Ocean Sea Route

Traversing through the core of the ancient world, the Mediterranean-Indian Ocean Sea Route delivers the needs of people and nations more than any other route.

Prominent Ports: Colombo, Singapore, Aden, Mumbai, Port Said.

Earlier, this route passed through the Cape of Good Hope. However, the Suez Canal has now replaced it and it saves both time and distance for the container ships.

Cape of Good Hope

The heavily industrialised regions of Western Europe are connected to South East Asia, South Africa, and West Africa through this sea route. It also supports the economies, agriculture, and livestock of countries like New Zealand and Australia.

The traffic and trade volume between West and East Africa has improved greatly because of the increase in gold, copper, tin, diamond, fruits, coffee, oil palm, and other natural resources.

Southern Atlantic Sea Route

South American nations get connected with West African and West European regions via this sea route.

The sparse population and poor development of African and South American countries are the reasons behind the low traffic on this route.

The traffic is less between Cape Town and Rio De Janeiro because both Africa and South America have similar natural resources and goods to offer.

North Pacific Sea Route

Multiple trade routes of the North Pacific Ocean meet at Honolulu. This route is situated on the Great Circle and connects Yokohama to Vancouver. Therefore, the distance of 2,480 kilometres gets reduced by 50%.

The North Pacific Sea Route connects Asia with the North American ports on the west coast. These ports include Los Angeles, Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco in the American region and Shanghai, Manila, Hong Kong, Kobe, Yokohama, and Singapore in the Asian continent.

South Pacific Sea Route

North America and Western Europe connect with the Pacific Islands, Australia, and New Zealand by the South Pacific Sea Route. It passes through the Panama Canal.

Coastal Shipping

Coastal shipping becomes convenient due to long coastlines. The coastal regions of India, China, and the United States are the best examples of coastal shipping areas.

In Europe, coastal shipping in the Shenzhen States has become convenient as each coast is located next to the other.

Coastal shipping has the potential to minimise the traffic congestion existing on the transportation land routes. However, to achieve this it needs to be smartly developed.

Shipping Canals

Western and Eastern worlds can trade with each other better due to Panama and Suez Canals. These man-made canals prove to be an excellent gateway for commercial activities via sea routes.

Suez Canal

Built in 1969, the Suez Canal of Egypt lies between Port Suez and Port Said located in the South and North directions respectively. It connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

It also serves as a gateway for the European regions to enter the Indian Ocean. By doing so, it minimises the distance between Colomba and Liverpool in comparison to the sea route via the Cape of Good Hope.

1. The Suez Canal does not have any locks and its depth varies from 11 to 15 metres and its length is 160 kilometres.
2. Approximately a hundred ships travel through this sea route daily. It requires a minimum of 10 to 12 hours for the ships to cross the Suez Canal.
3. There is a railway link between the canal and Suez whereas, one branch line heads from Ismailia to Cairo.
4. Another canal (freshwater canal) originates from the Nile River and meets the Suez Canal in Ismailia. This canal provides fresh water to Suez and Port Said.

Panama Canal

1. Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are located in the west and east respectively and are linked by the Panama Canal.
2. Built by the United States government across the Panama Isthmus, this canal lies between Colon and Panama City. It was done by purchasing 8 kilometres of land on either side and was named Canal Zones.
3. The Panama Canal is 72 kilometres long and includes deep cutting for 12 kilometres of distance.
4. The structure of this canal follows a 6-lock system. The ships pass through different levels (26 metres above and below) via these locks before reaching the Gulf of Panama.
5. The distance between San Francisco and New York gets minimised by 13,000 kilometres via this sea route. Similarly, the distance between the USA’s west coast and Western Europe is also minimised by the Panama Canal.
6. From the economic point of view, the Panama Canal is less significant if we compare it with the Suez Canal. However, it is the key to the economy of Latin American countries.

In conclusion:- 

This is the most affordable mode of transportation because there are no construction costs and very little maintenance costs. The connecting of oceans has resulted in greater navigation with ships of various sizes. Sea routes and inland waterways are the two types of water transport.

The sea and oceans provide a smooth highway that can be travelled in all directions and requires no maintenance. Modern passenger and cargo ships are outfitted with a variety of navigational aids.