Vocal Voices

In the Suez canal causes havoc with world trade goods.

What a nightmare. If they can't free it and have to unload it, then it could take weeks. Then we'll see some serious shortages.

I am not a marine engineer, but lightening the grounded foredeck by taking off some containers using helicopters would have been my choice. They could have been reloaded once the ship was declared free.

That was my thought too WM, but the DWT of this ship is 270,000 tonnes, evenly balanced.

I believe it is stuck both fore and aft and cannot use the screws. They are trying to free the bow so they can pull it round and off the stern mud. If they lighten the bow, then it will bed in deeper at the stern and may tear the screws off if they try to tow it out.

Bit of a mess.

Good point.

They are saying that it could take weeks and at $9bn per day to the global economy that's an expensive re-float.

The thought does occur that we seem to be dangerously dependent on the Suez Canal.

Yes, it is at times like this when calculations such as tearing the screws off, towing it to a port and trans shipping might become a real option. At least for the rest of the world economy.

It will be interesting to see how it goes. Certainly they can't keep the whole canal bottled up like this. I suspect some ships have already been diverted because the wait will be longer than the trip round the cape.

They've been talking about doubling that bit of the canal for decades now. Perhaps they will finally do it and also increase the traffic flow at the same time.

cromwell wrote:The thought does occur that we seem to be dangerously dependent on the Suez Canal.

One of the supposed "fringe benefits" of Global Warming is the opening of the Northern sea route early. Shipping traverses that route longer and longer each year. For deliveries in Europe, it is shorter from Shanghai than through the canal.

It may be that the concerned governments get together and start working on that section of the canal.

Meanwhile China is still working on the Trans Asia Railway. The problem is gauges which change three times on the route. A true electric railway would ship more goods and with less pollution. But, as ever, land is more difficult than the sea.

It has been refloated and shipping is moving again. It has to be inspected once it gets to Great Bitter lake.

I bet the international community will be looking into making it a two canal route along its whole length.

That was my thought too. But for every $ they put into it they will want $10 out of it. Guaranteed. Also who would coordinate it? The UN?

I guess it's down to shipping and business convincing Egypt to expand and also providing the knowledge and expertise to get it done. Even then, this kind of project takes about a decade or two. Unless they want Musk to set up a new company...

A second canal has been built and opened in Panama as here was not enough capacity in the existing one.

Two solutions.
Build another canal
While this is being done, let ships go up on even days and down on odd days so there is a one way system.

Or make big ships like the Ever Given go round South Africa.