Yachting Monthly - April 2016

EXPERT ON BOARD

16 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com APRIL 2016

EXPERT ON BOARD

Rear Admiral John Lang,

also a yachtsman, commanded

two submarines and a frigate.

He retired in 1995 to head

the MAIB from 1997-

also a yachtsman, commanded

two submarines and a frigate.

To stay safe around

shipping, it pays

to understand the

different types of

marine traffic. John

Lang explains all

A yachtsman’s

guide to shipping

I

t is easy to take shipping

for granted. So long as

supermarket shelves are

stocked and there’s fuel

in forecourt pumps, the

average person ashore has

absolutely no interest in how

goods and fuel reach us, yet

every ship has a story to tell.

Each contains a tiny community

of people trying to do a good job

in a testing environment.

The small boat sailor has

a unique opportunity to see

these ships relatively close up.

How are they operated? What

pressures do they face? How

might their watchkeepers react

to a small craft ahead? A little

understanding about our fellow

seafarers can make life more

interesting and safer for us all.

Such knowledge can embrace

an awareness of the routes they

are likely to take, their method

of keeping a lookout, an idea

of speed, rate of turn, and any

restrictions on their ability to

manoeuvre.

Analysing

traffi c density

Most traffi c from the Atlantic en

route for Northern Europe, the

Baltic and the Nordic countries

passes through the English

Channel and the Dover Strait. It

is the world’s busiest waterway,

averaging over 400 commercial

shipping movements a day.

There is a substantial short sea

trade. Dover is Europe’s busiest

ferry port. Hull on the east coast,

Portsmouth on the south and

Liverpool and Holyhead on the

west all operate ferry services to

the Continent or Ireland. Product

tankers, feeder container ships

and small cargo ships link

smaller harbours with large

terminals at home and abroad.

Shipping concentrates in the

approaches to our main cargo

handling terminals on the Firth

The graphics in this article are taken from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO)

report Mapping UK shipping density and routes from AIS (July 2014). Conducted by

ABP Marine Environmental Research using data from the Maritime and Coastguard

Agency, the project tracked shipping using AIS A and B over 12 seven-day periods

throughout the year between 2011 and 2012. This one shows overall UK vessel density

The graphics in this article are taken from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO)

Shipping Ports

1 Aberdeen

2 Avonmouth/Bristol

3 Brixham

4 Devonport/Plymouth

5 Dover

6 Felixstowe

7 Fraserburgh

8 Gourock

9 Holyhead

10 Hull

11 Immingham

12 Isle of Grain

13 Lerwick/ Shetland

14 Liverpool

15 London Gateway

16 Milford Haven

17 Newlyn

18 Peterhead

19 Portsmouth

20 Ramsgate

21 Scilly Isles

22 Southampton

23 Teesport

24 Tilbury

GRAPHIC: MMO

1

2

3

2219

21 17

4

5

(^1220)
16
11
10
23
18
13
7
8
9 14
6
2415