Staying Regular

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

the single digger they had out there wasn't enough..

[RichieRich]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

If it's going to take weeks you would think they'd bring in some heavy cranes and unload it. With the amount of money at risk, cost shouldn't be an issue. Use helicopters, figure it out.

Yeah multiple simultaneous solutions that are easy to think of include:
- more shoreline based excavators
- perhaps other shoreline based soil removal systems
- more tug boats to push/pull
- increase buoyancy by removal of some loads by whatever means, float system


I suppose some much-smarter-than-me people have looked at these options but given the relatively remote location and accessibility issues there must be some major logistical challenges getting there by sea (blocked by the other boats??) or by land (no roads, sand).



some good online articles particularly this one with photos and illustrations (found after I typed all that stuff above):
https://www.bbc.com/news/56523659
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56516151

[Fuzz]

There are roads right next to the canal. It's 1.5 hour drive from Cairo. The canal is empty in both directions to bring service boats in. I don't know what the excuse it.

[chemgear]

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Yeah Looking at that photo, it ain't gonna be that easy to unload that ship Fuzz.

[81MC]

The boat flies under Panama, but I wonder who actually owns it, and how losses are covered.

[CroFlames]

Could you not just run a ####-ton of cabling from the stern and attached it to 150 Egyptian military tanks and have them pull this sucker free? Who cares if it damages the ship if billions in commerce is being tied up.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Could you not just run a ####-ton of cabling from the stern and attached it to 150 Egyptian military tanks and have them pull this sucker free? Who cares if it damages the ship if billions in commerce is being tied up.

Cuz then you have to clean up 20,000 shipping containers that have fallen into the canal as well as a 400m long ass ship that might be taking on water......

Just yanking the ####er out could make matters worse.

[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by 81MC

The boat flies under Panama, but I wonder who actually owns it, and how losses are covered.

In a sign of the turmoil the blockage has caused, the ship's Japanese owner even offered a written apology.
“We are determined to keep on working hard to resolve this situation as soon as possible,” Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. said. “We would like to apologize to all parties affected by this incident, including the ships travelling and planning to travel through Suez Canal.”

https://www.castanet.net/news/World/...-in-Suez-Canal

[Fuzz]

I'm only an internet expert, but I'd think you could get some suction dredgers around the ship, remove as much sand around it as possible, and maybe it would float again?

[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

If it's going to take weeks you would think they'd bring in some heavy cranes and unload it. With the amount of money at risk, cost shouldn't be an issue. Use helicopters, figure it out.

i saw this and laughed....

Have they tried switching it off and on again?

[Monahammer]

That photo doesnt make it look very stuck TBH. I kind of agree... maybe not tanks, but youd think a naval destroyer would have enough horsepower to pull her free if you cabled it together on the leading side...

Perhaps there's some cargo on the ship that absolutely cannot risk being dropped into the ocean? seems weird.

[Monahammer]

Serious question, but could some Canal maintenance be at fault too? it seems like the bank on the right side has silted up more than the left if the drawings are to be believed. Egypt has been through some considerable turmoil in the last decade.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Serious question, but could some Canal maintenance be at fault too? it seems like the bank on the right side has silted up more than the left if the drawings are to be believed. Egypt has been through some considerable turmoil in the last decade.

There are probably several factors similar to this. When is the last time the Suez Canal had an expansion/modernization? Google suggest 2015 but it appears to be an expansion to counter traffic and not size.

The Evergreen line of ships is one of the largest class of container ships in the world right now - and a recent design being built in 2017. Container ships are getting bigger and heavier than these canal operators had assumed and with expansions being so costly, i suppose it was only a matter of time?

It actually amazes me how narrow that section of the canal is.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

Serious question, but could some Canal maintenance be at fault too? it seems like the bank on the right side has silted up more than the left if the drawings are to be believed. Egypt has been through some considerable turmoil in the last decade.

Probably. Sounds like it's not exactly professionally managed.

Capt Ranjan Chowdhury, who sailed the Suez canal frequently during his 35-year maritime career, said the canal pilots, mandated by the SCA to steer transiting ships and aid tricky navigation on the waterway, contributed to problems.


“The canal pilots play music inside the bridge, and there’s a lack of AIS-supported backup,” he said, in reference to the tracking system used on ships. “They connect to it with a computer, but the canal pilots are very over-confident when it comes to navigating by sight. Every time they’re eating food, smoking, talking a lot and asking for bribes which keeps them very busy. Navigation is an art, and if you lose concentration for a second while navigating a narrow channel, it should be investigated.”


“We call the Suez canal Marlboro country,” he added. “If we provide them with a big carton of Marlboro cigarettes they’re happy. Not every captain has done their homework before transiting through the Suez canal.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...canal-blockage

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Probably. Sounds like it's not exactly professionally managed.



https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...canal-blockage

Matches my experience with Egyptian customs lol

[zarrell]

There's a Flames joke in here somewhere Always earned, ever given. Get to work people.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Probably. Sounds like it's not exactly professionally managed.



https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...canal-blockage

Always great to hear when dealing with the steady shipment of trillions of dollars of goods and foodstuffs

[chemgear]

So back to piracy in the news with (more) ships going back around Africa?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by chemgear

So back to piracy in the news with (more) ships going back around Africa?

Finally the Russians can do the one thing they're good at.