Climate change increasingly affects sea freight in Europe, with significant impacts on shipping routes and maritime operations. From increased storm frequency and changes in ocean currents to shifts in marine populations, more frequent fog, and rising sea levels, these effects add to the complexity of maritime operations.
Increased Storm Frequency
Due to the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere, more water evaporates, and this increased moisture in the air fuels more powerful and frequent storms and hurricanes. This can increase the risk of maritime accidents such as collisions, groundings, and capsizing.
Changes in Ocean Currents
Near the poles, surface water becomes heavier as lower temperatures cause the water molecules to pack tightly together. Due to its increased weight, this cold surface water sinks which displaces the deeper, warmer water and pushes it upward or along horizontal paths. When this cold water warms due to climate change, however, it becomes lighter and less able to sink effectively to drive the movement of deeper waters along upward paths. As a result, currents move more slowly and provide less forward momentum for ships. They need to use more of their own power to maintain speeds which results in higher fuel usage.
Shifting Marine Populations
Changes in ocean temperature and chemistry can shift fishing areas. Therefore, ships may need to navigate new areas where a higher number of smaller, potentially less predictable fishing vessels gather. This increased density of boats raises the likelihood of close encounters or even collisions and requires ships to spend more time maneuvering to avoid them. Additionally, these temperature changes can drive migrations of protected species into areas frequented by ships. Consequently, vessels may face speed limits in these areas or need to avoid restricted zones altogether which can alter usual shipping routes, extend travel times, and impact the supply chain.
Reduced Visibility Due to Fog
As the rate of evaporation increases due to global warming, more water vapor enters the atmosphere. When this warm, moist air comes into contact with cold ocean water, it loses heat and cools down. Because colder air has less ability to keep water molecules in vapor form, vapor condenses and turns into tiny droplets known as fog.
This increase in fog occurrences reduces visibility and increases the risk of navigational hazards such as collisions, grounding, and near-misses with other vessels or obstacles. Additionally, dense fog can complicate docking and undocking operations because it obscures the visual cues and landmarks that pilots and ship crews rely on to maneuver safely in and out of ports.
Rising Sea Levels
As sea levels rise, the embankments and seawalls that ports rely on for protection against the sea become less effective. This is because these structures were designed with height and strength that may no longer be sufficient to hold back the increased volumes of water. Moreover, they may not be able to withstand the more powerful storm surges that accompany higher sea levels.