Shipping Routes in the Northern Indian Ocean – South China Sea Regions and Associated Impacts from Monsoon

• Main Authors: Yi-Jang Shiau, 蕭義璋
• Other Authors: Jau-Ming Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/90281613381217649508

碩士 === 國立高雄海洋科技大學 === 海事資訊科技研究所 === 99 === Abstract Navigational safety and efficiency are the main objectives of navigation. Among numerous factors, the meteorological factors and marine weather are the most prominent and direct indicators, and are used to adjust shipping routes. This research focuses on the impacts and effects that the seasonal changes have on the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea seaways based on meteorological phenomena such as winds, waves and ocean currents. International Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Data (ICOADS), International marine Meteorological Archives (IMMA), and the ocean current data acquired from OSCAR (Ocean Surface Current Analyses – Real time) website are cited for this research. Meteorological Environment Data from National Centers for Environment Prediction (NCEP) and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) are used to analyze on overall marine climate and environment affecting shipping routes. The following are the results from this research: (1) In the Northern Indian Ocean, the major routes connecting between Asia, Europe and Middle East formed a triangle shipping routes. During the summer monsoon season, strong waves in the Gulf of Aden area forces ships to change its course to other alternative routes. Due to this strong wind, ships elect to sail along north of Socotra Island to prevent potential navigational hazards caused by the high waves from the southern sea area. (2) In the South China Sea, the leading ship routes travel between the Southeast Asia and the Northeast Asia. In winter period, ship navigation are affected by strong monsoon, therefore, navigate along the adjacent coastal area to avoid strong winds and waves. (3) In the Southern Asia Sea area, the key shipping routes travel across the Bay of Bengal. In summer, due to the strong southwest monsoon, the ships travel from east to west should choose the northern sea area or navigate along the coastal line to minimize the impacts on navigation efficiency. (4) Based on the comprehensive meteorological data analysis collected from navigational observation, various data and navigation records are integrated to analyze the changes of ship routes and modify ship routes according to the seasonal changes associating with winds, waves and ocean currents. Keywords: Northern Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Monsoon, Shipping routes.