Grounded ‘Mega Ship’ Blocking Suez Canal in Both Directions

[IslandHopper]

The Ever Given's technical mangers, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, said another attempt to refloat the vessel on Friday had failed, and that the salvage operation was now focused on removing sand and mud from around the port (left) side of the vessel's bow.

A specialised suction dredger, which can shift 2,000 cubic metres (70,000 cubic feet) of material every hour, arrived on site on Thursday, it added.

Arrangements are also being made for high-capacity pumps to reduce the water levels in the vessel's forward void space and the bow thruster room.

Another two tugs will arrive by Sunday, when a higher tide is expected.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56538653



John Denholm, president of the UK Chamber of Shipping, told the BBC that if the diggers and tugs were not successful, salvage teams would have to start the slow process of "lightering" the ship - transferring its cargo to another vessel or the canal bank.

That would involve bringing in specialist equipment, including a crane that would need to stretch more than 60m (200ft) high, he said.

"If we go through the lightering process, I suspect we're talking weeks."

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Many memes are proliferating.

My favs are the Top 10 Passover jokes related to this - so clever!

[HeinSdL]

Originally Posted by 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.

This is not looking good

At least 20 livestock ships caught in Suez canal logjam | Animals | The Guardian

[BugzyCan]

Maybe if they tell the locals that the weight of the ship is forming diamonds under the hull, there will be 10,000 people there the same day to push it off?

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by BugzyCan

Maybe if they tell the locals that the weight of the ship is forming diamonds under the hull, there will be 10,000 people there the same day to push it off?

Pretty much how they cleared land at Penang

In order to encourage land clearing, it was said that Light ordered a cannon to be loaded with silver coins and fired into the dense jungle, declaring to the local Malay population, who had been living on the island long before his arrival, that they would gain possession of the land cleared as well as coins retrieved.

https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sun...-early-history

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by BlueH2Obound

The CH-47D can only lift about 22,000 lbs. A typical 40' shipping containers weights approximately 9,000 lbs . . . empty. So I would guess that many of those shipping containers would have to be partially emptied on the ship in order to allow Chinooks to lift them off. PLUS, they are tightly packed, and lifting an external load where there is a significant risk of the load "hanging up", or catching on something is NOT something that I would personally like to do . . . Coming from a '47 pilot, Aviation Safety, and Aviation Accident Investigation Officer.

I was only responding to Littlewings queries... I don't think it would be remotely practical.

However there is precedent...
https://bribieislandhistory.blogspot...oasia1981.html
40 years ago... they were probably 20 foot boxes full of bubble wrap and it probably made very little difference to the outcome.


If you want to see what 'removal of wreck in a difficult situation ' looks like search 'Rena Wreck' and go to the images.....

[Bycrick]

Just a detail. Ship's capacity is 20,000 TEU. That’s measured in "20’ Equivalent Units." The standard 40’ countainer is 2 TEU. So it’s probably got way less than 20,000 physical containers. But still a lot to offload.

[Thumbs Up]

Originally Posted by 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.

No one is questioning if this could be deliberate? Obviously the media already has their whacky conspiracy cover story in place. It could still be deliberate. No grounding like this has ever happened, then it does but nothing to see here, move on. And what is up with this?:https://nypost.com/2021/03/24/cargo-...in-suez-canal/

[BugzyCan]

Looks a bit like ants from so high up.

[El Pinguino]

Another case of lightening ship by helicopter...
https://www.maritimejournal.com/news...ful_helicopter

[Pelagic]

They just need to take off the higher deck levels which allows them to pump out more ballast water until she floats easier.

At the moment, it is all about stability as she is taking the keel in both ends and hogging stress as she sags

I am sure they are already scrounging for floating crane barges and flat barges to create an offloading sytem

[El Pinguino]

The salvors current plan.... they say she is afloat aft.... may be taking 600 boxes off the frd stacks with a shore crane .... two BIG tugs on the way....

[HeinSdL]

Originally Posted by BugzyCan

Looks a bit like ants from so high up.

"... but they are ants!"

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I was only responding to Littlewings queries... I don't think it would be remotely practical.

However there is precedent...
https://bribieislandhistory.blogspot...oasia1981.html
40 years ago... they were probably 20 foot boxes full of bubble wrap and it probably made very little difference to the outcome.


If you want to see what 'removal of wreck in a difficult situation ' looks like search 'Rena Wreck' and go to the images.....

i was operations manager for anro asia when the pilot put her on the beach at bribie island. as you say, 40 years ago but still recall it like yesterday.

we did use chinooks to lift off containers but it was a slow business. fyi all containers on top tier or 2 will be empty so although the choppers can lift them, you are not removing much weight.

with anro asia, the ship was rocking on a rock ledge and in serious danger of breaking her back. we had underwater divers inside the double bottom tanks welding her up as she was breaking...

not enough money in the world to get me to do such !

cheers,

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Bycrick

Just a detail. Ship's capacity is 20,000 TEU. That’s measured in "20’ Equivalent Units." The standard 40’ countainer is 2 TEU. So it’s probably got way less than 20,000 physical containers. But still a lot to offload.

Important detail, Bycrick!

This is the problem with a marine story being reported by a buncha landlubbers... I promise you, the report I heard said that she is carrying 20,000 containers - which is not exactly correct - as you've just explained. (Thank you.)

If you will all note - suddenly the news stories have begun to report (in the last 20 hours) that the salvers "will be trying to refloat her using the tides".

Of course, all of us Mariners on this site who understand the phase of the moon and its effect on the tides have been discussing that for days now!

Thanks again, Bycrick for that clarification (and knock-on reminder not to rely on the landbound press to always get the maritime elements right).

Fair winds!
LittleWing77