Editing Strait of Dover (section)

==Shipping traffic==
[[File:AIS Manche Est.png|thumb|upright=1.3|left|[[Automatic Identification System]] display showing traffic in the strait in 2006]]

Most maritime traffic between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea and [[Baltic Sea]] passes through the Strait of Dover, rather than taking the longer and more dangerous route around the north of Scotland. The strait is one of the busiest [[International waterway|international seaways]] in the world, used by over 400 commercial vessels daily.<ref name="MarinePB"/> This has made traffic safety a critical issue, with [[Her Majesty's Coastguard|HM Coastguard]] and the [[Maritime Gendarmerie]] maintaining a 24-hour watch over the strait and enforcing a strict regime of [[shipping lane]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-hm_coastguard/channel_navigation_information_service_(cnis).htm |title = The Channel Navigation Information Service (CNIS) |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071017200620/http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-hm_coastguard/channel_navigation_information_service_(cnis).htm |archive-date = 17 October 2007 }}</ref>

In addition to the intensive north-east to south-west traffic, the strait is crossed from north-west to south-east by [[ferry|ferries]] linking [[Dover]] to [[Calais]] and [[Dunkirk]].<ref name="MarinePB"/> Until 1994 these provided the only route across it except for air transport. The [[Channel Tunnel]] now provides an alternative route, crossing beneath the strait at an average depth of {{cvt|45|m|ft}} below the seabed.

The town of Dover gives its name to one of the sea areas of the British [[Shipping Forecast]].
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