Shipping Intensity
Layer Shipping Intensity.png
Layer Info
Category Activities
Sub-category Shipping activity

Description

Shipping concerns transport by sea, involving ships or vessels transporting people (passengers) and/or goods (cargo). Shipping may be for commerce, recreation, or for military purposes. Merchant shipping is the lifeblood of the world economy, carrying 90% of international trade with 102,194 commercial ships worldwide.

MSP Challenge

Shipping Intensity is a month-by-month, computer generated data layer showing a 'heat map' of all ship traffic combined. The layer combines the tanker, cargo, passenger and ferry intensity heat maps together. Therefore this layer provides a complete overview of all simulated ship traffic within as well as in and out of the North Sea region.

The shipping simulation follows this logic:

  • Month by month, tanker, cargo, passenger and ferry ships want to go from specific ports to specific ports, within as well as in and out of the North Sea region.
  • These ships find a safe yet short route for their travels. Ideally they move in a straight line. To ensure the route is safe, they will opt for deeper waters and designated shipping lanes applicable to their type.
  • More ships following the same route means a higher intensity of ships that month, and thus redder lines on the intensity 'heat map' layers.


This page was last edited on 14 March 2022, at 13:48. Content is available under GPLv3 unless otherwise noted.