• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2020

The characteristics of ship traffic routes and the long term fluctuation in marine traf ic volume of the incoming and outgoing routes of the Yeosu Gwangyang Port were analyzed using vessel traffic data from the past 22 years and a real-time vessel traffic volume survey performed for 72 hours per year, for three years, between 2015 and 2017. As of 2017, the number of vessels passing through Yeosu Gwangyang Port was about 66,000 and the total tonnage of these ships was about 804,564 thousand tons, which is a 400 % increase from the 189,906 thousand tons shipped in 1996. Specifically, the dangerous cargo volume was 140,000 thousand tons, which is a 250 % increase compared to 1996. According to the real-time vessel traffic volume survey, the average daily number of vessels was 357, and traf ic route utilization rates were 28.1 % in the Nakpo sea area, 43.8 % in the specified sea area, and the coastal area traf ic route, Dolsan coastal area, and Kumhodo sea area showed the same rate of 6.8 %. Many routes meet in the Nakpo sea area and, parallel and cross passing were frequent. Many small work vessels entered the specific sea area from the neighboring coastal area traffic route and frequently intersected the path of larger vessels. The anchorage waiting rate for cargo ships was about 24 %, and the nightly passing rate for dangerous cargo ships such as chemical vessels and tankers was about 20 %. Although the vessel traffic volume of Yeosu Gwangyang Port increases every year, the vessel traffic routes remain the same. Therefore, the risk of accidents is constantly increasing. The route conditions must be improved by dredging and expanding the available routes to reduce the high risk of ship accidents due to overlapping routes, by removing reefs, and by reinforcing navigational aids. In addition, the entry and exit time for dangerous cargo ships at high-risk ports must be strictly regulated. Advancements in the VTS system can help to actively manage the traffic of small vessels using the coastal area traffic route.