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The Busiest Shipping Routes In The World By The Numbers
And the waterways that connect them
Over 80% of the total volume of international trade is carried by maritime transport. Millions of tons of goods and billions of dollars ply the world’s oceans, going from port to port to port. So which routes are the busiest? Which ones are the most lucrative? This list contains the busiest shipping routes in the world, and it includes some surprises.
#1 Asia — US
Major Waterway: Panama Canal
Total Canal Volume: 259,837,318 metric tons
Roughly 18% of US imports come from China. China represents the third largest trading partner of the United States, only coming behind direct neighbors Canada and Mexico. That makes it no surprise that the ocean route linking Asia to the United States is the busiest in the world. Some of the world’s largest ports are in Asia, and millions of metric tons sail from Asian ports to US ports each year. Los Angeles and San Francisco handle massive volumes of Asian goods every year. Other ships sail through the Panama Canal for ports on the US East Coast. The Panama Canal is the major waterway that critically links the United States to Asia.
#2 Asia — Europe
Major Waterway: Suez Canal
Annual Canal Crossings: ~19,000
The second busiest shipping route in the world links Asia to Europe. Major ports such as Rotterdam, London, Antwerp, Hamburg, and Barcelona take in thousands of containers of goods from Asia every year. Rotterdam is the eleventh busiest port in the world, and it does a massive amount of business with Asia. The key waterway linking Europe to Asia is the Suez Canal, which sees nearly 20,000 vessels traverse it yearly.
#3 Europe — British Isles
Major Waterway: Dover Strait
Total Value of Trade: $123 billion
Interestingly enough, the third busiest maritime route in the world is a rather short one. The United Kingdom imports 48% of its goods from the European Union each year. Many of these goods enter the country via the sea. Unlike the long circuitous route from Asia to North America or Europe, this…
