alt Hacker NewsThis is weirdly beautiful, like the maps of undersea internet cables that frequently come up here as well.
You can clearly see:
1) oil flowing out of the Persian Gulf from the Middle East to China
2) ships waiting to get through the Panama and Suez Canals
3) why people talk about “shipping lanes”. There are some obvious tracks everyone follows, because it’s the cheapest way from A to B (e.g. cape of good hope to straight of malacca).
4) why Singapore got to be such an important global hub.
5) why the houthis and the Somali pirates could cause such havoc
6) nobody goes in the southern ocean! (Why would they? Unless you’re bringing supplies to Antarctica…) a few ships drop down to go around Cape Horn but that’s it.
and so much more. I wish it included more up-to-date data…
Replies
I posted this as a top-level comment, but for up to date info you might try this:
I have no affiliation with that site, I just enjoy it.
On 3, Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS) will be making things look tidier (and safer) for many of the more organized flows.
In a TSS, you have to drive on the right, and if you're crossing one, your heading (not your track) must be as close to 90 degrees, to minimize your exposure time. When you're sailing this can be a big pain. The anti-collision rules are altered in a TSS.
> why Singapore got to be such an important global hub.
Without the the location, of course Singapore wouldn't have been able to be so important. But the location isn't everything --- Singapore manages to outperform Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas despite the similar geographic advantages of the Malaysian ports due to much better execution.
> This is weirdly beautiful
Until you notice the carbon emissions on the top left.
> 4) why Singapore got to be such an important global hub.
Thailand is still dreaming of building a canal to create an alternative option.
My favorite: near the Bering strait you can see the distortion of the map - obviously ships go in straight lines on a sphere but in a curve on the map.
> nobody goes in the southern ocean! (Why would they?...)
For the fish — plenty of trawlers in the Southern Ocean.
the weather & tides are terribad down south
> 6) nobody goes in the southern ocean!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Forties
“Below 40 degrees south, there is no law; below 50 degrees, there is no God.”