Strait talking: A look at critical waterways around the world
Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz amid a face-off with Israel. With 90 percent of globally traded goods being shipped by sea, we take a look at critical commercial waterways around the world
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The Strait of Gibraltar
A natural link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, it separates Europe from Africa by 13 km of water at its narrowest point and is one of the busiest sea routes. About 300 ships pass through the strait every day.
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The English Channel
The busiest ocean shipping lane in the world—with more than 500 vessels passing through it every day. Ships head to the North Sea, to the Atlantic Ocean and from the UK to continental Europe, and the other way round. There are about 170 ports and harbours along the channel, through which more than 16 million people and 5 million trucks pass every year. Major ports include Portsmouth, Le Havre, Cherbourg and Brest.
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The Danish Straits
It connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, and has historically been an internal passageway of Denmark. Following the 1857 Copenhagen Convention, the straits were recognised as an international sea route and were opened to commercial shipping activities. These straits are critical for Russian seaborne oil exports to Europe: Around 3.2 million barrels of crude oil per day and petroleum products are shipped through these straits.
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The Bosphorus Strait
It is a natural strait in the northwestern part of Turkey and connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is also called the Strait of Istanbul and has been a strategic waterway in trade for centuries. It forms a major sea access route for several countries, including Ukraine and Russia, and hence is significant from a commercial and military viewpoint.
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The Hormuz Strait
It is wedged between Iran and Oman, and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is the main shipping route for oil from the Middle East, with about 20 percent of global oil consumption—around 21 million barrels—passing through it every day. In addition, it carries 20 percent of global liquefied natural gas.
Given the criticality of this Strait to global oil supplies, the Israel-Iran conflict has cast its shadow on the functioning of this passageway and global supplies of crude oil and petroleum products.
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The Malacca Strait
It connects the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, and extends from the Andaman Sea through the Strait of Singapore, to the South China Sea. It connects many of Asia’s major economies, including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and India. Every year, about 94,000 ships pass through the Malacca Strait, carrying around 30 percent of all globally traded goods.
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The Suez Canal
In Egypt, this artificial waterway connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, and is a dividing line between Africa and Asia. Its construction began in 1858, 164 years ago and ended in 1869. The canal provides the shortest maritime route from Europe to Asia, giving ships the opportunity to avoid the long trip around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope. The canal is roughly 200 km long, has about 20,000 vessels going through it every year, which amount to about 12 percent of world trade and 30 percent of world container traffic.
Source: World Economic Forum, Marine Insights
