Grounded ‘Mega Ship’ Blocking Suez Canal in Both Directions

[Mickeyrouse]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

that photo of the little backhoe next to that big ship is laughable...seriously laughable...

Some close-up news photos have shown the bulbous bow of the ship to be embedded in the canal wall. I thought the backhoe was silly too, until I saw that the backhoe was actually digging dry land away from the bow. Believe me, that bow is planted. They may need to be arranging a crew change- and everyone else on all the other ships as well. Smit Salvage was saying it could “ take weeks to refloat.”
Interestingly, some canal people were also saying that fuel and ballast may need to be pumped out, and containers removed. That sounds like part of what happen to Golden Ray in Brunswick GA. Imagine getting that ship un-ballasted and then ANOTHER sand storm comes up... They’ve been working on removing Golden Ray, in pieces, for almost 18 months. A world-class c——— f—- on transit times, freight rates, supply chains, crude oil prices, etc. would result.

[Woodland Hills]

I wonder what will happen to the thousands of sheep and cattle onboard the two livestock carriers stuck in the queue. I doubt they carry much extra food on board. I suppose it will depend if they are at the north or south end of the canal, not much hay or silage on the south end. It’s no good making port if there is no food for the animals there. I am assuming they can make water, if not there is a disaster in the making.

[GordMay]

It was heading north, en route from China to the Netherlands, through the canal, approximately 6 nautical miles from the southern end [Port Suez], when it grounded.

An initial report suggested the ship suffered a power blackout, before the incident, something Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement denied Thursday.

The "Ever Given", one of the largest container vessels in operation, is nearly twice as long as the canal is wide.

The canal is 25 meters (82 feet) deep in the middle, but it quickly gets shallow on either side. It goes to 15 meters, to 11 meters, and then even less. The ship's draft is 15.7 meters.

[CassidyNZ]

I don’t know why they don’t just take an anchor to the opposite bank and kedge her off.

Funny as that may sound, a (relatively speaking) gentle pressure from the side may greatly contribute to getting the vessel into deeper water. It would at least guarantee that it doesn’t dig itself any further into the desert.

I find it interesting that a vessel that must spend a lot of time in restricted spaces has no bow thrusters (at least I can see no evidence of any in the available pics). I’ve seen ships far smaller than that with two and even three bow thrusters and often two stern thrusters as well. Power failures aside, that would strongly enhance the ability to keep the vessel on course in a canal.

[Woodland Hills]

Given how large this ship is compared to the canal, why were there no tugs accompanying her? It 75 meters longer than a Nimitz class aircraft carrier! You better believe that there will be tugs next transit after this fiasco.

[El Pinguino]

Small ships , especially roro ferries on short runs, depend on thrusters because it saves them spending an awful lot of money on tugs.

Ships the size of Ever Given ? You would run out of thrusters before nature ran out of wind.... and moving at canal transit speeds they would be ineffective anyway.

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

HeinSdl is right. Now that I recall the interview, the Maritime Expert did say "Smit" .

Thanks, Hein!
LW

Originally Posted by HeinSdL

The salvage company is Smit International, Boskalis is indeed big in dredging.

SMIT is a subsidiary of Boskalis......

https://www.tradewindsnews.com/casua...nal/2-1-986953

Dutch salvor Smit Salvage has been enlisted to help refloat the grounded containership that has blocked the Suez Canal since Tuesday.

Martijn Schuttevaer, spokesman for Dutch marine services company and Smit parent company Boskalis, told Reuters late on Wednesday that it had dispatched a 10-strong team to assist with the operation.

https://shipandbunker.com/news/emea/...weeks-boskalis

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

I find it interesting that a vessel that must spend a lot of time in restricted spaces has no bow thrusters (at least I can see no evidence of any in the available pics). I’ve seen ships far smaller than that with two and even three bow thrusters and often two stern thrusters as well. Power failures aside, that would strongly enhance the ability to keep the vessel on course in a canal.

Ever Given does have 2 bow thrusters as can be seen in this photo, though as El Pinguino points out they would be ineffective at transit speeds...

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

Ever Given does have 2 bow thrusters as can be seen in this photo, though as El Pinguino points out they would be virtually ineffective a transit speeds...

According to Wikipedia:
“Ever Given” has two 2,500-kilowatt [3,400 HP] bow thrusters.
➥ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_Given

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by GordMay

According to Wikipedia:
“Ever Given” has two 2,500-kilowatt [3,400 HP] bow thrusters.
➥ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_Given

.....

[Mickeyrouse]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

You better believe that there will be tugs next transit after this fiasco.

Something the towing companies would happily embrace. But considering that 47 vessels a day transit the canal, I doubt there are enough free tugs. It would add considerable shipping costs and delay. Shipping lines would fight it tooth and nail, while hoping the Evergiven event is an isolated once-in-a-lifetime thing. You know, like hurricanes, or freezing in Texas.

[boatman61]

Well it's the first time since the six day war back in the 60's that anything has happened to close the canal..
It was closed from 1967 to 1975 so this is an out of the ordinary event.

[MicHughV]

this is probably neither here nor there, but some years ago, I was headed to the Abaco's in the north B'mas. It was one of those rare occasions were we had west winds. We sailed non-stop to Great Sale Island, and when we got there, there was a 40-something powerboat that had been blown ashore in an anchorage there. There were a handful of other boats in there as well, some trawlers and sailboats, maybe 15 boats in all. At the next high tide, we all descended on this boat, with every possible tool, anchor and gadget we could think off. Additionally, another trawler there had taken a line from the bow out to deeper water. The anchor was also kedged out attached to the ships anchor winch.
We huffed and puffed, but to no avail. That boat was stuck like it was glued there. That was the issue, the suction of the mud on the hull was too much for us. Then some bright spark said, instead of pushing sideways, lets rock the boat back and forth. So this we did and suddenly we felt movement.
In the meantime, the other trawler radio'd us and said I've got 100 rpm left in my engines and we said....let 'er rip.....
A 100 rpm.....that was it...enuff to break the suction, in tandem with the rocking....once we got it moving an inch, the rest came readily and we got that boat off.

This ship on Suez is around 1200' long x 200' wide, I can only imagine the enormous suction that needs to be overcome. I don't see a way out here, unless some of the cargo is removed. There are video's of several tugs trying to pull it away, to little avail.

This is going to be quite a long project methinks. I shall follow with interest.

[El Pinguino]

Speaking of high windage ships and their thrusters. Quite a few years ago a group of us did a BRM course in Port Klang.. after it was over we had a freeby ride down to Singapore on a big cruise liner. Despite her having big thrusters she still used tugs when getting alongside in S'pore in what in my book was a gentle 'off the berth breeze' as the thrusters would have been on their very limit.
Strangely they seem to manage in Ushuaia without tugs......

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Mickeyrouse

A world-class c——— f—- on transit times, freight rates, supply chains, crude oil prices, etc. would result.

The are going to be some un happy boaters in Europe when they realise their LifePO4 batteries aren't going to arrive this Spring.