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Megaship refloated; Suez Canal reopens to traffic

15 Comments
By Hager Harabech and Mona Salem

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A question I have is how long has the captain and crew of that ship been out to sea? Since Covid-19 has swept the world, maritime crew changes have stopped happening. Normally a crew member signs up for a four to six month stint at sea, followed by an equal length of time at home. Since the pandemic, travel restrictions have largely prevented crew changes. There are crews that have been out at sea for over a year because no port will allow them to disembark and even if they could, the airlines are not allowing them to fly home. The converse is true for crew members at home who cannot get to their ships and thus are rendered jobless. In too many cases ship owners or the management companies they hire are not paying crew members past the end of their contracts even as they soldier on many months past the ends of their contracts operating those ships. They are like prisoners. There are some 300,000 maritime workers stuck on ships around the world unable to go ashore or go home to their families. Fatigue can lead to poor judgement in critical situations. It will be interesting to see if the crew of the Ever Given was fresh, or if they have been at sea for a year or more and simply worn out.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Have to say, a job well done.

Yes. Boksalis are the best at what they do. Unfortunately it seems to be the nature of the maritime industry that Boksalis has ample opportunities each year to refine their craft. If you follow any maritime blogs you know ships hit things, hit each other, catch fire, run aground or sink with alarming regularity. Most incidents never make the news. Maritime problems are out of sight and thus out of mind for most of the world.

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I'm looking forward to finding out what caused this accident and hopefully they terminate the crew members that were responsible for this disaster.

You make the assumption it was human error on the part of the crew when there was a sandstorm and sudden gusty winds at the time of the grounding. I don't know if you know how that canal works, but ships anchor out at either end waiting for an appointment time to join a convoy put together by the canal authority. Generally passenger ships get priority through the canal, followed by the largest cargo ships like Ever Given. The convoy will be around 16 ships and they all have to move at the same speed to maintain a safe distance between each ship. The convoys are generally run at 13 to 16 knots, a speed set by the canal authority for their convoy. There will be canal authority tugs guiding the convoy and available to assist ships that have problems. It is a very organized process. Each ship will have at least one and sometimes up to three canal authority pilots on board to help the captain navigate the canal. Those pilots, like harbor pilots everywhere are the local experts on canal depth, currents, winds and navigation aids. The captain is ultimately responsible for safe passage of their ship, but they have very little latitude in making decisions when navigating the canal.

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Another possibility. If the ship was overweight, 

You can see from her depth markings on her hull she was not.

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They will have to put a ship tonnage limit using the canal.

Why? Heavier and larger vessels pass through that canal without incident. Ever Given is not the largest container ship to use the Suez Canal. Let's find out what caused the mishap before making such suggestions.

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Keeping the Suez Canal dredged to the right depth must be an on-going battle against the elements.

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Boo. Put the boat back.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

UsergeneratedToday  11:40 am JST

"Today, Egyptians have been successful in putting to an end the crisis of the stranded ship in the Suez Canal, despite the enormous complexity surrounding the process," Sisi said.

It was a Dutch-led operation, the article states as much. It's common knowledge their understanding of delta works and water management are highly specialized. It wasnt Allah Akbar or the Egyptians. Credit where credit belongs.

Allah gave them all brains and they used them to solve the problem. So kudos to all involved for a job well done and for using the brains that Allah supplied them with.

Allah Akbar.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Another possibility. If the ship was overweight, she could have hit bottom, where a ridge or furrow of some kind may have suddenly directed her energy, ploughing into the bank. All this subsequent frantic dredging will have helped out.

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"Today, Egyptians have been successful in putting to an end the crisis of the stranded ship in the Suez Canal, despite the enormous complexity surrounding the process," Sisi said.

It was a Dutch-led operation, the article states as much. It's common knowledge their understanding of delta works and water management are highly specialized. It wasnt Allah Akbar or the Egyptians. Credit where credit belongs.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Great news! Pretty amazing to move something that gigantic.

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It would be interesting to know who built the following 2 containers.

Ever Given

Massive ship Ever Given hit small ferry in Germany in 2019 mishap: https://youtu.be/JIlMFphlfiE

One Apus

Cargo ship ONE Apus loses more than 1,800 containers in Pacific storm:

https://youtu.be/M5rX5EWmWVk

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'm looking forward to finding out what caused this accident and hopefully they terminate the crew members that were responsible for this disaster.

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He praised the duration of the salvage operation on the MV Ever Given as "record-breaking", claiming it would have taken three months anywhere else in the world.

Have to say, a job well done.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

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