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Major Thom wrote: ↑Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:48 am. I believe they are dredging around the bows to release it, but would that nor disturb the sands further, because the canal is tidal....
An interesting point here from Major Thom, it's obvious that the Egyptians are trying out the cheapest methods, this being the cheapest of all, and in my opinion the silliest. Have the authorities there never heard of the term 'shifting sands', which when such a method is put into practice, the removal of sand can only help the ship into an even deeper lock position, and therefore can only make the problem even more difficult to resolve.
I can not understand why there is still debate in the media as to how and why this occurred in the first place, when it is more than obvious. I will write up my final notes on this crazy subject tonight.
Major Thom wrote: ↑Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:48 am I believe they are dredging around the bows to release it, but would that nor disturb the sands further, because the canal is tidal....
Shifting sands in this manner will only create a greater problem, as I am sure most people will understand, and especially with tidal water which you point out, again increases a tighter hold on the body. Anyone who has ever sunk their feet on a beach at a time when a tidal wave is increasing the holding downward pressure, will understand my reasoning here.
From a headline I've just seen online, it would appear this boat has now been freed. I haven't read any details but hopefully sailing through the canel can now resume.
The whole incident does bring in to question whether the canal is fit for purpose. It was never intended for such large, or so many, vessels. Management and maintenance if the cabal are also no doubt key factors at play.
It may have been a freak accident that forced this particular boat to get stuck, but it has shown how easy such a scenario could be repeated - by accident or design - and the chaos that can follow.
Experience is not what happens to you;
it is what you do with what happens to you.
-Aldous Huxley
HEPZIBAH wrote: ↑Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:15 am
Who2, I read elsewhere that one is the company name and the other the boats name. No idea if that is true though.
That’s correct. The ship is owned by the Evergreen Marine Corp (Taiwanese I think?) but is named Ever Given.
Contrary to the pontifications of our all-too-busy maritime “expert”....it seems MT’s common sense approach was adopted.....successfully. A combination of Dutch know how and Egyptian manpower.
By removing sand from the stern end and awaiting high tide....hey presto!
The ship is not entirely free....but it’s looking promising ( 11.00 GMT)
Having just caught the 1pm BBC news it would appear that the headline I saw this morning was a bit optimistic. It seems that, although part of the the boat has been released, it is still stuck. More dredging required, and the might and strength of many tugs need to continue with push/pull operations.
Of course, once movement is free on the canal again, there is going to be further knock on effects because all the boats will be arriving in ports within days/hours of each other and that is going to cause its own problems.
If you are a boat spotter (I'm sure there must be some akin to train or plane spotters) you'd best claim your viewing place overlooking the major ports and estuaries as soon as the canal is cleared for traffic. :-)
Experience is not what happens to you;
it is what you do with what happens to you.
-Aldous Huxley
newcastle wrote: ↑Mon Mar 29, 2021 3:07 pm
@Hepzibah.
There’s loads of tracking sites for the boaty anoraks.
Maritimetracker.com is a favourite
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Ah! But is tracking as good as standing on a river bank with your binoculars and zoom lens camera; flask and sandwiches packed in ancient holdall; pack-a-mac, earmuffs, and fingerless gloves ready to enhance the anorak at a moments notice?
Experience is not what happens to you;
it is what you do with what happens to you.
-Aldous Huxley
HEPZIBAH wrote: ↑Mon Mar 29, 2021 3:13 pm
Ah! But is tracking as good as standing on a river bank with your binoculars and zoom lens camera; flask and sandwiches packed in ancient holdall; pack-a-mac, earmuffs, and fingerless gloves ready to enhance the anorak at a moments notice?
That’s true....but in these days of lockdown I’d need an astronomical telescope to see anything.
So, for me, it’s flask and sandwiches, notebook to hand, on the sofa...with my iPad
P.S. A gather a gust of wind has blown the bloody boat into the bank again.
My daughter used to be at sea working on a cargo tanker rather like the one that has run aground. I was an avid boatee anorak although only interested in one ship.
I don't think the mariners of the world get enough recognition for the often dangerous and difficult job they do. Bless them all.
P.S. A gather a gust of wind has blown the bloody boat into the bank again.
I think another gust of wind has blown it free and back on course. Then again it could have just been hit by the back draft of people chatter and a lot of hot air.
Enjoy your anorak snack pack.
Experience is not what happens to you;
it is what you do with what happens to you.
-Aldous Huxley
At last there seems to be a little success with this problem, so how and why was the situation allowed to happen.
In the past three years we have seen a huge increase in these rather large container ships, few ports in Europe can handle such vessels. In the U.K., only the like of Southhampton Water and the likes of Tilbury, though such super container ships as this will be easily accommodated in the new (rather secret) new dock called Thames Gateway, that will not only send containers on from there by rail to the rest Gt Britain, but also to other parts of Europe through the Euro Tunnel.(Very good future returns for those who have a few bob spare to invest in shares in that futures)
As a direct result of greed on behalf of the Suez Canal Authority they allowed this ship through the canal knowing full well how vunerable it would be to cross winds. It is obvious such similar ships will not be allowed through this route in future, therefore putting in jeopardy such vessels, as I certainly can not see them attempting the 'Good Hope' even in summer.
The Egyptian government sought multi BILLION POUNDS from private (Egyptian only) investors in LE currency only bonds in 2015, nto pay for the new dual-carriageway system (as I have mentioned above). The annual return on these bonds for the private investers has been disastrous, though the Egyptian corporate investers has been paid handsomely by the government from average return increasing to 12% and then 15% per ann, thus to prevent mass selling, and therefore a run on th LE, which the Egyptian government can ill afford at this time.
The Suez is not as important as it once was in the days of $100 a barrel super oil tanker period of the 1970/80's. Oil prices will never reach more than $70 a barrel, simply because shale becomes more economical, and the Gulf States along with Saudi Arabia know this, that is why they are all now desperately investing in anything but oil. Oil prices during this so called crisis gained only a fraction, that tells you a lot.
This week the super container ships first brought about by China, have suddenly realised through their greed that they have huge problem, it may come as a surprise to some that even at Southampton such ships are not allowed to dock during periods of high winds that can last a week, how they are able to manage such dockings at either Rotterdam or even in the Thames estuary at Tilbury, I can only imagine.
As part of the government’s Global Britain strategy, the UK has offered help to the Egyptian government by sending in the world’s foremost experts at claiming a widely mocked catastrophe is actually a brilliant opportunity that will be praised by future historians.
Standing in front of 17 Union Jacks, the head of the Britannia Unleashed Task Force, Simon Williams MP, said that the dispatch of shameless bald-faced liars to help Egypt polish their blocked turd was the sign of a confident post-Brexit Britain.
“We might not be able to provide technical expertise, because we offshored all our international activities a decade ago, but if we know one thing, it’s how to pass off a colossal f*ck-up as geopolitical strategy. It’s in our blood. Our ruling class has been shirking blame for their cretinous decisions for centuries.
“Entire export sector in crisis because we negotiate trade deals solely for the headline? We’ll claim anyone who complains is a short-sighted incompetent and probably a traitor.
“People angry at the astounding level of procurement corruption we initiated? How about a bullsh*t culture war about flags to make everyone look elsewhere?
“Mark my words, within a week our chaps will have Sisi on a zip line claiming that no other canal can create such a world-beating backlog.”
However, some experts in North African politics have warned that distraction tactics that work in the UK might not apply in Cairo.
Among other things, some highlight a typical reluctance of Arab leaders to look like a buffoonish oversexed cretin who people don’t trust but invite round to their party anyway in the hope he can be goaded into pissing into his own mouth.
Yorkshire holds its breath as main shipping route of flat caps, whippets and ale is blocked. Ernie Slatherswaite, Master of the vessel told us 'One minute we were fine then a small gust of wind took us.
Yorkshire is set to lose upwards of £3.67 a day until the carnage is cleared, which according to Our Uncle Eric in the pub, could take weeks.
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Yesterday I took a pleasant walk along a stretch of my favourite canal, these places are often overlooked as a good place to walk due to their past industrial heritage. However I find them to be full...
I have no idea how long it took to dig out and prepare, test and then open the original Suez Canal. (OK, I'm lazy and not searched for the information either.) It does seem to me...
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Since the opening of the 'new' Suez Canal, revenue has significantly declined from previous years. The government of Egypt has recently set up an inquiry as to why this is so,........Hmmm....
Hopefully this could be interesting tonight on Ch4.
Mind you, celebrating the 6th of October must be like celebrating the great exodus of Afghanistan.
I believe it's called a Pyrrhic victory ?........
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Shame the programme involves Tony Robinson otherwise I might have checked in. He should have stuck to being Blackadder’s servant. I find it impossible to take him seriously as a historian.
As I continued my stroll along the canal, I was particularly pleased to notice a couple of Lime trees that had established themselves and although they can be quite common in some towns as shade...
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Lovely pictures Horus.......I love canal walks we often go along the one near us, as for swallows there were loads of them in Greece - I did get a picture of a nest with a few hungry beaks which I...