What do you do when you're all blocked up?

[samhexum]

Massive container ship stuck in Suez Canal blocks trade

 

A massive container ship has run aground in the Suez Canal, blocking the other cargo ships from passing through the crucial link between Africa and Asia.

 

The ship — which is longer than four football fields and weighs 440 million pounds — was lodged in the waterway Tuesday as attempts to refloat it failed, The Guardian reported.

 

Photos taken from another boat show the giant container ship stuck across the waterway, leaning slightly to one side. Attempts by small Egyptian vessels to free it have been unsuccessful.

 

The shipping tracking site Vesselfinder shows dozens of vessels were anchored on either side of the Ever Given Tuesday evening as the ships wait for their turn to pass on to the Mediterranean or Red Sea.

 

The ship is headed to Rotterdam from China.

 

[+ sync]

What a situation! It will be interesting to know the solution. As I see it, cranes will have be brought alongside to lift away enough of the containers to make the ship light enough for it to be maneuvered into position.

 

Pity the one who gets tagged for this screw-up.

[samhexum]

Giant container ship blocking Suez Canal partially moved

 

Crews have managed to partially free the container ship that caused a massive traffic jam on the Suez Canal.

 

The 440 million-pound Ever Given has been “partially refloated” after high winds and a dust storm turned it sideways and blocked the crucial trade route between Europe and Asia, the marine agency GAC said Wednesday.

 

Traffic and convoys are expected to start moving again as soon as the ship — which is longer than four football fields — is towed from the canal bank to another position, GAC said.

 

Some vessels could start passing through the Egyptian canal again by Thursday after the blockage gridlocked dozens of ships, Bloomberg News reported.

 

The first ship from a convoy that had been held up by the Ever Given has started to move, indicating that traffic has resumed, sources told Reuters.

 

The process of clearing the canal has gone faster than initially expected after the giant ship ran aground Tuesday.

 

People familiar with the situation had feared it would take days to free up the passage that serves as an artery for about 12 percent of the world’s trade, according to Bloomberg.

 

Bernhard Schulte Ship management, the ship’s technical manager, said an investigation into the incident was underway. The Ever Given’s crew is safe and no injuries have been reported, the firm said.

 

Photos from the site showed the Ever Given turned sideways and blocking the full width of the canal and creating a major headache for commercial ships. It takes a week longer for vessels to navigate around the African cape, which is the main alternate route between Asia and Europe.

 

Oil prices jumped Wednesday amid the jam, which may have affected 10 tankers carrying 13 million barrels of crude oil, according to Vertexa, an oil analytics firm.

[+ IronMaus]

See this is why they need Fox News over there - so the truth can get out like the children on those boat need to!

 

https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-ship-suez-canal-hillary-clinton-1578428

QAnon Claims Stuck Suez Canal Ship Used by Hillary Clinton to Traffic Children

[+ keroscenefire]

See this is why they need Fox News over there - so the truth can get out like the children on those boat need to!

 

https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-ship-suez-canal-hillary-clinton-1578428

QAnon Claims Stuck Suez Canal Ship Used by Hillary Clinton to Traffic Children

That QAnon documentary on HBO is truly terrifying. Mostly that people believe such obvious crap.

[KeepItReal]

Massive container ship stuck in Suez Canal blocks trade

 

A massive container ship has run aground in the Suez Canal, blocking the other cargo ships from passing through the crucial link between Africa and Asia.

 

The ship — which is longer than four football fields and weighs 440 million pounds — was lodged in the waterway Tuesday as attempts to refloat it failed, The Guardian reported.

 

Photos taken from another boat show the giant container ship stuck across the waterway, leaning slightly to one side. Attempts by small Egyptian vessels to free it have been unsuccessful.

 

The shipping tracking site Vesselfinder shows dozens of vessels were anchored on either side of the Ever Given Tuesday evening as the ships wait for their turn to pass on to the Mediterranean or Red Sea.

 

The ship is headed to Rotterdam from China.

 

As any experienced log driver will tell you - there is only one way to break a log jam... 25 pounds of dynamite! ??

[samhexum]

The owner of the titanic ship blocking the Suez Canal apologized Thursday for bringing one of the world’s most vital waterways to a standstill as the traffic jam stretched into its third day.

 

The apology from Japanese ship-leasing firm Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. came as a team of powerful tugboats worked to free the Ever Given, the 440 million-pound vessel that ran aground Tuesday after high winds turned it sideways.

 

At least 150 other ships are reportedly waiting for the blockage to clear before they can pass through the Egyptian canal, a crucial route between Europe and Asia that carries about 12 percent of the world’s trade.

 

“We are determined to keep on working hard to resolve this situation as soon as possible,” Shoei Kisen Kaisha said in a statement Thursday. “We would like to apologize to all parties affected by this incident, including the ships traveling and planning to travel through Suez Canal.”

 

The Suez Canal Authority temporarily suspended navigation through the canal Thursday as crews continued work to free the Ever Given after an overnight pause.

 

Workers managed to partially refloat the skyscraper-sized cargo ship on Wednesday, which reportedly spurred hopes that some traffic could resume by Thursday.

 

But experts told Bloomberg News that the blockage could continue until Monday given that tugboats and diggers have failed to move the Panamanian vessel. Thirteen ships that started moving along the canal Wednesday had to drop anchor until the big boat is freed, officials said.

 

A team of eight large tugboats is working to tow and push the Ever Given, the largest of which has a towing power of 160 tons, according to the Suez Canal Authority. SMIT Salvage — an elite Dutch maritime firm specializing in aiding ships in distress — is helping with the effort alongside Japan’s Nippon Salvage, Bloomberg reported.

 

Dredgers have been used to clear silt from around the giant vessel, and workers may reportedly have to remove fuel or ballast water — which keeps ships stable while at sea — to lighten the load.

 

The economic impact of the jam will only get worse the longer it continues. More than $9 billion worth of goods could be passing through the canal each day that it’s closed, according to the shipping journal Lloyd’s List. And the affected ships may reportedly include 10 tankers carrying 13 million barrels of crude oil.

 

The blockage may also be an expensive headache for Shoei Kisen Kaisha. The firm and its insurers could face millions of dollars in claims from the Suez Canal Authority and other ships that are caught up in the mess, experts told Reuters.

 

[jjkrkwood]

[+ FrankR]

As any experienced log driver will tell you - there is only one way to break a log jam... 25 pounds of dynamite! ??

You’ve been listening to Dave Ramsey again, havent you! ??

[+ Lucky]

When I am all blocked up, I stop and wonder what thread @samhexum is contemplating posting. Then I go "duh" or ???????????

It usually clears everything up. ?

[samhexum]

It may be causing a global trade crisis, but the ship stuck in the canal is hilarious meme fodder.

 

One industry’s crisis appears to be another’s field day. The internet went wild with memes poking fun at the disaster — and putting it into context in a way only Twitter jokers could.

 

Here are a few of the best ones to help explain the drama in the water.

 

One onlooker superimposed King Kong & Godzilla on the ship, joking that “the situation in the Suez Canal has escalated.”

 

“What is happing in #SuezCanal today explained. #Egypt,” tweeted one observer. Underneath the post was a video of the hilarious scene from the movie “Austin Powers,” in which Mike Myers’ character tries to do a three-point turn while driving a cart in a narrow hallway.

 

Some instantly saw the ship as a symbol for the mental toll of the coronavirus pandemic. One user posted a photo of the Ever Given with the words “My COVID depression and anxiety” slapped across. Next to the humongous ship was two small construction workers labeled “going on a daily walk.”

 

Another user shared a map of the ship’s route on the Suez Canal and questioned, “Is there a traffic jam?” Alongside the tweet he posted a finger emoji pointing down to the map.

 

Another commenter shared a funny satirical cartoon where it showed two sides of the canal labeled “procrastination.”

 

“Good news for today: whatever happens, at least you’re not the guy who got his boat stuck in the suez canal and broke maritime shipping,” joked one Twitter user.

 

Alongside a photo of the Ever Given being strung up by thousands of colorful balloons, an observer wrote, “Tension rises over new attempt to re-float ship in #SuezCanal ”

[+ Cash4Trash]

I suggest coating it bow to stern with Pjur silicone lube. Should slip right out.

[+ FrankR]

As any experienced log driver will tell you - there is only one way to break a log jam... 25 pounds of dynamite! ??

With ships stacking up and fears of piracy rising... the dynamite option is looking better and better every hour! ?

[Guest]

...

 

 

??? One bulldozer is the response? Unless I'm missing something, it seems those responsible are being jerks about this...

[Guest]

Ship happens.

[+ FrankR]

It may be causing a global trade crisis, but the ship stuck in the canal is hilarious meme fodder.

 

 

It's been a gold mine for jokes! ?