sea lane

American  

noun

1. a standard navigational route for ships traversing an ocean or sea.

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sea lane British  

noun

1. an established route for ships

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Etymology

Origin of sea lane

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

These convoys also had to battle the polar ice, which crept south in winter, narrowing the sea lanes between the icepack and the German bases in Norway.

From The Wall Street Journal

Great-power competition is growing in the High North as climate change opens sea lanes and access to natural resources.

From The Wall Street Journal

Navy to “control sea lanes,” and use “tariffs and reciprocal trade agreements as powerful tools” to make the Western Hemisphere “an increasingly attractive market for American commerce.”

From Salon

Greenland is strategically located between North America and Europe at a time of rising US, Chinese and Russian interest in the Arctic, where sea lanes have opened up because of climate change.

From Barron's

A new frigate will be a key piece of that fleet, tasked with protecting larger vessels and sea lanes from threats like enemy aircraft and surface ships.

From The Wall Street Journal