shipping routes

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ColinR

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www.victoriashadow.co.uk
Does anyone know a publication or website that shows shipping routes for the NW Europe and N Atlantic? None of my pilots or almanacs seem to have them and it seems to me quite important information when planning an ocean trip.

thanks Colin
 
Unlike Aircraft - there are no fixed shipping routes. It also depends on season and loadlines.
Most vessels would fix a route that a) keeps them out of restrictive loadline areas such as WNA to maximise cargo carrying, b) would try and keep as direct a route as possible unless striking a Great Circle - usually a composite GC anyway by reason of a).

There is a Ocean Routes publication that ships carry - but it's more to do with seasonal variations and other factors than actual tracks. I have a copy at home somewhere as a "Conversation piece" - it's practical use for us ? Near zero. Plus it's expensive !
 
But aren't there well trodden tracks, like from the Channel to New York for example. When I sailed from La Coruna back across Biscay weather pushed us out onto a line more or less between Finisterre and Ushant and there was a procession of ships the whole way whereas on the trip out which was much further in the Bay we saw none. I'm planning a shorthanded trip to the Azores and would like to steer clear of shipping if possible.
 
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I'm planning a shorthanded trip to the Azores and would like to steer clear of shipping if possible.

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Buy a bilge keeler and sail down the 5m contour line. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I'd have thought you could work this out for yourself pretty easily. Use an atlas, and draw straight lines between like merchant shipping destinations/turning points, like Ushant and Finisterre. Odds are most shipping will remain close to those straight lines, for speed and fuel reasons. Of course, fishing boats are a different kettle of fish.
 
The ocean routing charts, which give the average weather statistics for each month and show the forecast areas, also show 'shipping routes'. The relevant one is 5124[x] where x is the month you intend to sail (ie [6] is for June).

However I have noticed a difference between 2 trips to the Azores spaced 16 years apart: 16 years ago there was no shipping at all to be seen except in well-defined routes such as on the great circle between Panama or the horn and Ushant, but recently they have been much more spread out and can be met with just about anywhere. I guess that this is because they now get daily routing instructions via Inmarsat for best speed or use of fuel. So the routing chart is less useful as a guide than it used to be (the weather statistics have always been complete fantasy as far as I can tell, but that's another story).

Anyway I used to go to sleep quite happily en-route provided well off the shipping 'lanes', but no more.
 
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But aren't there well trodden tracks, like from the Channel to New York for example. When I sailed from La Coruna back across Biscay weather pushed us out onto a line more or less between Finisterre and Ushant and there was a procession of ships the whole way whereas on the trip out which was much further in the Bay we saw none. I'm planning a shorthanded trip to the Azores and would like to steer clear of shipping if possible.

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Of course there are and I would suggest because of various reasons.
One - when I was going from shipping co. to shipping co. as Second mate - I had my personal courses and distance book. So instead of working out all again - I just plotted straight from my book. It was a standard School Exercise book style and I wrote up every new route I devised. It was usual as well to have a file on the ship that you would write it up into, as well as the passage plan. I still have it in fact. I also still have my sight books - same style books, all sights written up over the years.
Another reason is that all shipping co's want to take shortest / quickest route - nm / time = money spent. So all those second mates plotting courses onto charts will be basically using same / near same charts, similar courses etc.
It's rare that a co. or master will require a change to what the 2/O plots. He will want to see it before it's confirmed, but that's about as far as he involves normally.
Some company's on liner trade or regular routes may have listed routes - which their ships keep to ... common in Fruit / Container / Passenger trade.
With of course advent of ECDS systems on ships - there's also the electronic archive of routes to call on ... which will of course tend to standardise routes.

Just while on the subject of ships ... a couple of pic's to give an idea of what the OOW sees....

Bridge layout with steering station, twin integrated anti-collision radars, ECDIS electronic chart display behind the steering station looks like radar.

17-09-06KS_bridge.jpg


17-09-06KS_ecs.jpg


And here is the view out the fwd bridge windows :

17-09-06KS_1.jpg


And the view you would have from approx 200m in front - if you cannot see the bridge windows - HE cannot see you :

17-09-06KS_a.jpg


The vessel a 100,000 ton tanker - a medium sized crude-oiler. Built in late 90's and well maintained.
 
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I guess that this is because they now get daily routing instructions via Inmarsat for best speed or use of fuel

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?????????? The act of turning / altering course on a ship increases it's fuel consumption significantly - it's one of the main reasons for auto-pilot - to minimise helm orders. If anyone thought a Shipping Co. would spend loads of dosh on AP when a man is far cheaper - just to relieve a man from the helm - yer wrong !!
I'm in the game of on / off ships and I've never heard of Merchant Ships being instructed via Inmarsat or anything else unless specific to a storm centre, towing a barge / rig etc. where weather conditions play vital part. Second the speed of a vessel is governed not by economy - but by it's Charter. If it fails to make Charter speed the penalties are severe. The Charter speed is set at vessels designed speed +/- a small % depending on whether in-house charter or out.

What has happened is the lessening of need to make recognised landfall. With advent of GPS, better navigation - the ships now are steering more direct without the "pick up island xxxx to check" .... Make for Ambrose Light etc.
Bit like us really - where we often don't buoy / marker hop and use the GPS !!
 
Pilot Charts show Great Circle routes across the North Atlantic, rough guide to shipping routes. Pilot Charts are drawn for each month.

Free from US Gov:
clicky

Select Pub 106 for North Atlantic, then choose the month of interest.

Warning: Very Large PDF files! Print to A1 paper
 
NP136. Admiralty Ocean Passages For The World.

May be what you are after, we have a copy on board. Haven't had to use it yet as we are still in the Med', but looks like it could be usefull. Also has a good section for auxillary powered vessels (those who average 100 - 150 mile a day), as well as usefull info on weather patterns and ocean currents etc.

Chart No 5308. The World Sailing Ship Routes. This is self explanetry, and looks good as well. There is another chart concerning tracks followed by auxillary vessels but I can't find the number.

Happy planning!
 
Doubtless you're right, you have the direct experience of merchant shipping and your explanation is certainly more plausible (mine was only a guess as I said). Come to think of it, I'm not sure that I noticed VLCCs more spread out, but container ships most certainly are, which does support the idea that it's because shipping is doing more point-point trips that they are more spread out.
 
"The ocean routing charts, which give the average weather statistics for each month and show the forecast areas, also show 'shipping routes'. The relevant one is 5124[x] where x is the month you intend to sail (ie [6] is for June)."

Thats the answer.
 
the shipping lanes are ushant,finistere and then azores. see reeds.from a practical point of viewe you willnot see shipping if you keep to a western track.fishing vessels seem to stop after the continental shelf.you will tend to meet shipping again as you approach the azores,big ships that is that show up well on radar and will carry ais.good luck . chris
 
I applaud the replies that give links to Pilot Charts etc. But in reality - they are rarely followed. They are statistically based charts. On board a evaluation of weather forecasts would be made and only in serious cases would a vessel plot or deviate from a direct route.
GC routeing is not used as often as implied. In fact I can only remember a few times in my 17yrs on bridge actually following one. GC routeing particularly North Atlantic passes up into ice regions. The nearest most would get to a GC in N.Atlantic may be the limiting latitude version. Not only that but following a GC would mean vessel crossing load-line limits, reducing cargo carraige significantly.

One area that would fly direct in the face of GC / many Pilot directions etc. Crossing Atlantic to / from Cape to Carribean. It is common not to make direct, because of the massive outfall from Amazon river, weather patterns, current flows etc. So here experience of Master / Navigator comes to the fore. It is one area that I remember had specific reliable repeatable influences.

Like most things - theory is great, practice is different.

There are enough ships persons on these forums and I'm surprised by lack of response from them. Even if they were to post and disagree with me ! (I'd hope they would give reason for my being wrong !)
 
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There are enough ships persons on these forums and I'm surprised by lack of response from them. Even if they were to post and disagree with me ! (I'd hope they would give reason for my being wrong !)

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It's because you're right. I could add that Ocean Passages for the World was conceived before the advent of modern forecasting and routing techniques. Shipping is also much more competitive today - very few ships go back and forth between two distinct ports; sidetrips are common; and as I understand it, cargoes can change hands and destinations enroute.
 
When working close to land you can get a very good idea by drawing great circles (NOT straight lines) between TSSs e.g. Ushant/Finisterre. A gnomonic chart will help you to do that. If you want to know how close you are to one of these lines, put the start and end points of the line into your GPS and look at the XTE.
 
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