Final answer:
Modern shipping routes are influenced by trade demand and vary by ship type, affecting the complexity of EEZ enforcement. High-traffic regions with diverse source ports face more difficulty in EEZ enforcement compared to less busy areas.
Step-by-step explanation:
When examining the shapes and patterns in the routes of modern shipping, one can observe that shipping routes are formed based on trade demands, with established corridors such as those through sea level canals like the Panama Canal being critical points of passage. Furthermore, the volume and type of shipping, as illustrated by container ships, bulkers, and tankers, influence the patterns of routes and ballast water (BW) discharge points. Enforcing an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) would vary in difficulty depending on the traffic volume and complexity of routes; areas with heavy traffic and numerous source ports like the East coast of the United States, where container ships frequent, may pose more challenges compared to regions with less traffic, such as Alaska with fewer source locations for any ship type.
Regions such as the East Coast, which expect heavy container ship traffic originating from sources like Asia and Bermuda, tend to have a more complex enforcement of their EEZ due to the substantial proportion of BW discharges coming from oceanic overseas destinations beyond 200 nautical miles from any shore. Conversely, areas with less intricate shipping patterns, like Alaska, where the number of source ports is relatively low and predominantly engaged by fewer ship types, may find it easier to enforce their EEZ.