The locks themselves are of uniform length, width, and depth and were built in pairs to permit the simultaneous transit of vessels in either direction.
"And I would in fact take all sorts of naval actions – not military actions, per se – but military naval vessels transiting through that zone, to clearly show this is international waters, open to transit to anyone who wants to go through there".
So steeply has the situation in the Gulf of Aden and along the 2,000-mile 2,000-mileomalia deteriorated that the EU has initiated a "coast suppoft protection Somalia for vessels transiting these perilous waters.
The Bosphorus Strait, which splits the European and Asian sides of Turkey, is one of the world's busiest waterways, with around 50,000 vessels transiting between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea each year.
In Central America, crops are failing, millions are in danger of starvation, and if the drought doesn't break soon, even vessels transiting the Panama Canal will need to lighten their loads, which will increase prices for goods transported globally.
According to Dobbs, there will now be three classes of vessels transiting through dangerous waters; armed, hardened or enhanced security measures, and no precautionary measures.
Clinton specifically requests diplomats to promote the use of PCASP on "merchant vessels transiting the high-risk waters off the Horn of Africa, in addition to other counter-piracy measures".
"Drawing on talking points in paragraph 9, Post is requested to demarche host governments and/or members of host country's shipping industry to encourage the responsible use of Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel (PCASP) on merchant vessels transiting high-risk waters off the Horn of Africa, in addition to other counter-piracy measures".
Some 220 vessels transited the northeast passage during the recent three month ice-free season this year; there was much mention of the availability or lack of icebreakers to insure safe passage of flagged vessels.
This restricted area, or safety zone, was set at 500 yards (457 metres) while these vessels transit in Seattle's Puget Sound.
