Calculation of categorical route width according to maritime traffic flow data in the Republic of Korea

Offshore wind farms have emerged as an effective method for responding to the energy crisis. However, offshore wind power generation has been indiscriminately planned at sea, leading to interference with the traffic routes of merchant ships. Many countries and organisations have set buffer zone standards to ensure the safe navigation of passing vessels, but these standards differ widely. As a typical example, the standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and those of the Confederation of European Shipmasters’ Associations (CESMA) are used to decide the route widths of vessels; however, they both have limitations, preventing their application to all sea areas. This study proposes a novel methodology to calculate the width of a route using distribution and line density analyses of 90% and 50% maritime traffic. First, four categorised maritime routes and gate lines are established to comparatively analyse the width of maritime traffic routes. Next, to ensure reliability-based route safety, the compliance of extracted maritime traffic route widths with the criteria established by the IMO and CESMA is verified. The selection of optimised widths for vessel traffic routes will ensure the safe navigation of maritime traffic and encourage the sustainable development of maritime spaces.