EXPERT ON BOARD
APRIL 2016 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 17‘How are they operated? What pressures do they face? How might their watchkeepers react to
a small craft ahead? A little understanding can make life more interesting and safer for us all’
of Forth, Humber and Thames
Estuary, the Solent, Milford
Haven, the Mersey and the
Clyde. Immingham is currently
the UK’s largest port by volume
and Felixstowe is our busiest
and biggest container port.
Southampton leads the way with
car carriers and cruise ships,
Milford Haven is the largest
energy port while Aberdeen
has the largest number of ship
movements servicing the North
Sea offshore sector.High level of traffic
Wind farms involve a high level
of support traffic. The London
Array, for instance, is the world’s
largest offshore wind farm with
much of the support traffic
operating out of Ramsgate.
Elsewhere, nearly all
commercial traffic follows well
defined tracks between turning
points off headlands andTo accommodate or avoid traffic while passage planning, use AIS
websites such as http://www.marinetraffic.com or http://www.vesselfinder.com.
AIS is not infallible. Some vessels may not feature, some
information may be inaccurate, but the broad picture of shipping
concentrations can be seen in the comfort of one’s home.MarineTraffic.coMPHoTo aBoVe: GraHaM SnooK/YMAs part of your passage planning, you can check online to find
out what shipping to expect on passageTracking Traffic yourself
established navigation marks,
or the entry and exit points of a
Traffic Separation Scheme.
Naval activity is concentrated
on Portsmouth, Devonport and
the Clyde with most operational
sea training taking place in
designated areas to the south
and south-west of Devon and
Cornwall, and in the north-west
approaches to the British Isles.
Small day fishing boats are
ubiquitous but larger British-
and EU-registered vessels will
be largely confined to Scottish
waters and in the south-west.
The UK’s leading fishing port is
Peterhead, followed by Lerwick
and Fraserburgh. Brixham is
England’s premier fishing port,
ahead of Plymouth and Newlyn.
Once at sea, a fishing vessel’s
actual path will be determined
by where the skipper judges the
next catch to be or his pots
have been laid.We share the
same waters as
our fellow
seafarers, but
while we play,
they work –
and work hard