As widely expected the onset of the El Niño weather phenomenon was officially confirmed yesterday, news that will have significant ramifications for the global shipping industry over the following 12 months.
“El Niño conditions are present and are expected to gradually strengthen into the Northern Hemisphere winter,” the Climate Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US said in an advisory published Thursday, adding that there was an 84% chance that this El Niño will be stronger than normal.
El Niño is a weather pattern that builds in the Pacific Ocean that can impact weather conditions around the globe. The good news for shipping is that it tends to mean a lower hurricane season in the Atlantic. The bad news is myriad, however – from a more stormy Pacific, to further draft restrictions along key waterways including the Panama Canal, and severely disrupted agricultural production around the world.
The likely effects for global shipping from the onset of the El Niño weather phenomenon formed the lead story in the May issue of sister title of Splash Extra.
