TERRESTRIAL NAVIGATION

BSC SEM I
UNIT 7– MARITIME GEOGRAPHY
• he Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five
oceans, followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean,
Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean.
• The ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth's surface and
contains 97 percent of the planet's water, yet more than
95 percent of the underwater world remains
unexplored. The ocean and lakes play an integral role in
many of the Earth's systems including climate and
weather. The ocean supports the life of nearly 50 percent
of all species on Earth and helps sustain that life providing
20 percent of the animal protein and five percent of the
total protein in the human diet.
•
Pacific Ocean
• The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the
world's five oceans
Area
• total: 155.557 million sq km
note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea,
Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China
Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin,
Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of
Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea,
and other tributary water bodies
• Natural resources:
• oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules,
sand and gravel aggregates, placer
deposits, fish
• Environment - current issues:
endangered marine species include the
dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals,
turtles, and whales; oil pollution in
Philippine Sea and South China Sea
• Ports and terminals:
• Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong
(China), Kao-hsiung (Taiwan), Los
Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines),
Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco
(US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China),
Singapore, Sydney (Australia),
Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ),
Yokohama (Japan)
• Environment - current issues:
• Pacific Ocean endangered marine species include the
dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil
pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea
• The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world
economy and particularly to those nations its waters
directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation
between East and West, extensive fishing grounds,
offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel
for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the
world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean.
Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an
ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of the US,
Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of
recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide
swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to
fluctuations in new drillings.
• Geography - note:
• The Pacific Ocean has major chokepoints
are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal,
Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait;
the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into
the North Pacific Ocean and the South
Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral
islands and rugged volcanic islands in the
southwestern Pacific Ocean
• Transportation - note:
• Inside Passage offers protected waters from
southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington
state); the International Maritime Bureau
reports the territorial waters of littoral states
and offshore waters in the South China Sea as
high risk for piracy and armed robbery against
ships; numerous commercial vessels have been
attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while
underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised
and cargoes stolen; crew and passengers are
often held for ransom, murdered, or cast adrift.
•
• The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the
world's five oceans (followed by the
Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern
Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically
important access waterways include the
La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan,
Singapore, and Torres Straits. The
decision by the International
Hydrographic Organization in the spring
of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the
Southern Ocean, removed the portion of
the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees
south.
• Mariana Trench, depression in the floor of
the Pacific Ocean, the deepest seafloor
depression in the world. It is located just
east of the Mariana Islands in the western
part of the ocean basin. The Mariana Trench
is an arc-shaped valley extending generally
northeast to southwest for 2,550 km (1,580
mi); its average width is 70 km (40 mi). The
Mariana is one of many deepwater ocean
trenches formed by the geologic process of
subduction
•
• Natural resources:
• The Pacific Ocean has oil and gas fields,
polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel
aggregates, placer deposits, fish
•
• Natural hazards:
• The Pacific Ocean is surrounded by a zone of violent
volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as
the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones
(typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to
December (most frequent from July to October); tropical
cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and
strike Central America and Mexico from June to October
(most common in August and September); cyclical El
Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific,
influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the
western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in
extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the
northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to
December
• Shipping canals are waterways specifically built along major
seawater routes to enable the passage of vessels.
• Most of the time, these canals are constructed to connect to
waterbodies including seas, lakes, and rivers, offering an
alternative route to the vessels, particularly cargo vessels.
• Such canals are of vital importance in the maritime industry as
they offer shorter transportation routes across major seawater
networks and also help to regulate maritime traffic internally
within countries.
• There are hundreds of shipping canals all over the world, in
different length, width and depth, facilitating easy movement
of a variety of vessels on an everyday basis. Some of these
canals are also the busiest traffic routes around the world.
1.Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal
• Popularly known as Grand Canal, the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand
Canal is the longest and the oldest canal in the world. Connecting
China’s the Yellow River and Yangtze River, the canal goes
through several provinces in the country as well as connects with
several other rivers.
• While the canal covers a length of 1,776 km (1,104 mi), its greatest
height reaches at a summit of 42 m in the mountains of Shandong.
Linking the northern and southern China, the canal contributes
heavily to the country’s economy as it holds a great role in the
transportation of cargo. Originally built in 468 BC, the Grand Canal
is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
1.Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal
• Popularly known as Grand Canal, the
Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal is the
longest and the oldest canal in the world.
Connecting China’s the Yellow River and
Yangtze River, the canal goes through
several provinces in the country as well
as connects with several other rivers.
• While the canal covers a length of 1,776
km (1,104 mi), its greatest height reaches
at a summit of 42 m in the mountains of
Shandong. Linking the northern and
southern China, the canal contributes
heavily to the country’s economy as it
holds a great role in the transportation of
cargo. Originally built in 468 BC, the
Grand Canal is currently a UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
2.Suez Canal
• Opened in November 1869, the 193.30 km (120 miles)-long
Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway located in
Egypt. Linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez,
the Suez Canal is an extremely crucial shipping canal in the
world maritime sector as it is one of the most heavily used
shipping routes in the world.
 Suez Canal
• The canal, which separates Asia from the
African continent, provides a shortest
maritime route between Europe and the
regions which share a border with the
Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific
Ocean. The Suez Canal has been
recognized as a maritime route to be open
at all times, to shipping vessels of all
countries in order to facilitate continuity in
maritime trade operations irrespective of
global conflicts.
 Panama Canal
• One of the most crucial maritime gateways in the western region,
the Panama Canal provides connectivity between the Pacific and
the Atlantic Ocean through the Panama isthmus- a narrow strip
that separates the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean. Since
the oceans that the canal connects with are not at the same level,
the canal uses Lock Gates on either side to lift the vessel to the
higher level and similarly to drop down to the sea level.
• Opened in the year 1914, the canal helps vessels transiting
between the east and west coasts of the US to shorten their
journey by 15,000 km. The 82 km (51 mi)-long waterway offers its
service to 29 major liner services, mostly on the US East Coast to
Asia trade route. In 2017, the Panama Canal witnessed the arrival
of a total of 13,548 vessels and received 403.8 million tons of
cargo.
 Panama Canal
• One of the most crucial maritime gateways in the western region,
the Panama Canal provides connectivity between the Pacific and
the Atlantic Ocean through the Panama isthmus- a narrow strip
that separates the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean. Since
the oceans that the canal connects with are not at the same level,
the canal uses Lock Gates on either side to lift the vessel to the
higher level and similarly to drop down to the sea level.
• Opened in the year 1914, the canal helps vessels transiting
between the east and west coasts of the US to shorten their
journey by 15,000 km. The 82 km (51 mi)-long waterway offers its
service to 29 major liner services, mostly on the US East Coast to
Asia trade route. In 2017, the Panama Canal witnessed the arrival
of a total of 13,548 vessels and received 403.8 million tons of
cargo.
 Corinth Canal
• Connecting the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic
Gulf in the Aegean Sea, the Corinth Canal goes
through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and
divides the Peloponnese from the Greek
mainland. With the 6.4-kilometre length and 8
meters (26 ft) depth, the Corinth Canal is
considered to be the deepest canal in the world.
The canal holds its importance as it helps
seafarers avoid the dangers of sailing around the
Peloponnese’s treacherous southern capes while
moving between the Gulf of Corinth and the
Saronic Gulf. Though its economic importance
has reduced due to the incapability to
accommodate modern ships, the canal still
serves around 15,000 ships from at least 50
countries.
 The White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal
• The White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal, also called White
Sea Canal, is an important waterway that
regularizes traffic internally along the Russian
waterways starting from the White Sea in the north
and extending to the Baltic Sea down south.
Constructed in the year 1933, the shipping canal
passes through various smaller water bodies,
including the Arctic Ocean and Lake Onega, before
finally emerging into the Baltic Sea. Although an
important navigation conduct, the 227 km-long
canals, however, witnesses only light traffic since it
isn’t suitable for merchant ships vessels with larger
dimensions and specifications. It is estimated that a
total of 193 million tonnes of cargo had been
transited through the canal over the first 75 years of
its operation since 1993.
Linking three important rivers in the heart of Western
Europe, the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal or the Europa
Canal was originally built as early as the 1938s.
Thexx Europa Canal is a major marine transportation
gateway linking the North Sea to the Black Sea, via the
Atlantic Ocean. Over the years there have been several
constructional extensions that have been made to the
canal, the last one being carried out in the early 1990s. An
important shipping gateway within Europe, the 171
kilometres (106 mi) long Rhine-Main-Danube Canal is
capable of accommodating barges with a capacity of up to
2,425 tons of bulk cargo.