Water Transportation History

Water Transportation Propulsion History

• Human (oars, poles) - - 7,000-10,000 BC

• Wind (sails) - - 3,000 BC

• Steamboat invented - - 1787 AD

• First diesel-powered ship - - 1912 AD

• Hovercraft invented - - 1956 AD

• First nuclear-powered ship launched - - 1958 AD

Two Major Types of Water Transportation

• Deepwater – Passenger: cruise ships, ocean liners (19 million to be

served globally in 2011) – Freight: bulk carriers, container ships, tankers, reefer

ships and roll-on/roll-off ships (8 billion tons shipped globally in 2007)

• Inland/Coastal Waterways – Passenger: ferries (59 million served in U.S. in 2009) – Freight: dry bulk cargo, liquid cargo, and flat deck

barges (857 million tons shipped domestically in 2009)

Cargo Densities of Global Deepwater Shipping Routes

Image courtesy of U.S. Maritime Administration

Panama Canal Lock Expansion Project

• Approved by national referendum in October 2006 by 80% of Panamanians

• Scheduled completion date in 2014

• Estimated cost of $5.2 billion

• Project is on schedule and under budget

• Will double capacity of the canal

• Will allow much larger ships to traverse canal

• Will alter global shipping patterns

Inland/Coastal Waterways

• 12,000 miles of navigable waterways

• 240 lock sites • Move commerce to and from 38

states

Image courtesy of National Waterways Foundation

Image courtesy of U.S. Maritime Administration

Inland Waterways System Components

• Navigation channel – dredging required at some locations

• Locks and dams – navigation pools (USACE)

• Ports and terminals for loading/unloading – publicly and privately owned

• Fleeting/mooring sites

• Navigation aids – channel and obstruction buoys (US Coast Guard)

• River information systems – automatic vessel identification, lock operations management, vessel-to-land communications

Seamen’s Church Institute Mariner Simulator Training in Paducah, KY