Text 3a

SHIPPING

Seas, rivers and lakes have been trafficked by boats and ships since the earliest times. Today shipping is larger than ever. Shipping has always been accounted for the largest share of trade by far compared to other means of transportation. The great majority of all freight transport to, from and between the countries in sea areas occurs on ships. In addition to transportation of goods there is a considerable passenger transport.

The infrastructure of shipping consists of the shipping lane system, typically maintained by the state and harbour service. Shipping lanes connect the harbours and give prerequisites for shipping through the supplied service of nautical charts, marking of lanes, piloting and ice breaking.

Shipping may be divided into open-sea shipping, river shipping and inland shipping. The river traffic, mostly with barges, is considerable on many of the larger world rivers. Lakes are trafficked similarly with the rivers or canals that connect them with surrounding waters.

Along the coasts traffic is focused in the ship lanes close to the ports. Little commercial shipping is therefore performed in the protected fairways, especially in archipelago areas. The marking of fairways on open-water entrances and over straights and bays is normally narrow. There is thus a limit to the size of the ships in such waters. The fairway widths in these areas must therefore be dimensioned with consideration to the comparatively poorer conditions for the ships to determine their positions and to follow specific coastlines. A number of factors, such as vessel size and manoeuvering ability, traffic intensity, exposure to weather and wind and over- and underwater topography, affect the width of the fairways. The use of the archipelago fairways is limited by water depth.

The traffic separation system is a route system approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Sea Security Agency of the United Nations. The traffic separation system is marked on nautical charts. It is mainly used by coastal and through traffic. Ships longer than 20 metres shall, according to the shipping rules, use traffic routes. Smaller ships are obliged to use the water between land and the actual traffic separation system. The purpose with the system is to direct oncoming traffic to different traffic routes.

Smaller fishing boats exhibit a transport pattern between the open sea and the port that largely agrees with trade shipping. The home harbour of fishing boats often differs from the port where the fish is unloaded. There is therefore traffic between these sites. When weather conditions are unfavourable, the fishing boats use the protected fairways along the coasts. Coastal fishing and fishing in the archipelago using boats for shallow waters often utilize older unmarked fairways and occasional short-cuts in order to reach the actual fishing area.

The width of shipping lanes and the surface demands of shipping are of importance when balancing the use of a water area against other interests. It is important to have a survey for the comprehensive planning along coasts and in archipelagoes and their outskirts, in order to see quickly if a new activity is in conflict with the interests of shipping.

Ex.7. Answer the questions:

1. Can we say that shipping today is larger than ever? 2. What does the infrastructure of shipping consist of? 3. What do shipping lanes serve for? 4. What kinds may shipping be divided into? 5. Is there any difference between river, lake or canal traffic? 6. Why is the marking of fairways on open-water entrances and over straights and bays normally narrow? 7. What factors affect the width of the fairways? 8. What is the traffic separation system? 9. What is the purpose with this system? 10. Why is it important to have a survey for the comprehensive planning along coasts and in archipelagoes and their outskirts?

Ex. 8. Agree or disagree with the following statements. Give grounds to your answer:

1. Today the volumes of shipping are constantly decreasing. 2. Lake and river shipping are completely different. 3. There is a limit to the size of the ships in archipelago areas. 4. A great number of factors affect the width of the fairways. 5. Water depth limits the use of the fairways in river shipping only. 6. The traffic separation system is a route system approved by a country’s Marine office. 7. Fishing boats’ transport pattern is similar to trade shipping. 8. Fishing boats usually use their home harbour to be unloaded. 9. The width of shipping lanes and the surface demands of shipping consider other interests, which may not be connected with water.

Ex. 9. Translate into English:

1. Грузовые перевозки в морских районах осуществляются, в основном, посредством кораблей. 2. Судоходство подразделяется на морское, речное и внутреннее. 3. Прибрежное движение судов сосредоточенно на морских путях, проходящих недалеко от порта. 4. Разметка фарватера учитывает тип судов, которые ходят в водах данного района. 5. Множество факторов, таких как размер судна, его маневренные возможности, плотность движения, погодные условия, топография дна и глубина, влияют на ширину фарватера. 6. При благоприятных погодных условиях рыбацкие суда используют безопасный прибрежный фарватер. 7. Любые портовые работы не должны противоречить интересам судоходства. 8. Морские пути соединяют между собой гавани и создают возможность безопасного судоходства.

Ex. 10. Define the main topic and idea of the text, split it into the logical parts, and make up the plan of the text.

Ex. 11. Retell the text in brief according to your plan.

Ex. 12. Read and translate the text: