Suez Canal blocked by container ship 36

[verymadmac]

It might not be an engineering issue that started it, but I bet is going to change a few specifications.
BBC piece here Link



It looks like the bow is hard aground, refloating will be an interesting exercise given the time pressure.



Canal profile is here

https://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/About/SuezCanal/Pages/CanalCharacteristics.aspx

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

One of the Danish guys at works brother is over there now.

Apparently it was sand storm Low Viz.and they got hit by 50 knt gusts from a base of 15-20

The two ships behind them nearly collided and only weren't grounded due to being alot smaller.

They are going to try a collosal suction dredger to dig out round the front and back and then block flow in the middle so the current eats the banks.

 

[Comcokid]

I know you civil engineering types intuitively understand what cut/fill means when you see the numbers. Maybe some of you have experience in doing this with dredges. The size comparisons in the link of the ship to the Eiffel Tower and Titanic work for me.

"An unnamed Egyptian canal authority official told late on Thursday that they would need to remove between 15,000 to 20,000 cubic meters (530,000 to 706,000 cubic feet) of sand to reach a depth of 12 to 16 meters (39 to 52 feet). That depth is likely to allow the ship to float freely again, it said.

Link to information:

https://www.vesselfinder.com/news/2...ed-by-Ever-Given-Steps-to-free-the-Ever-Given

 

[1503-44]

20,000 m3 is 8 Olympic size swimming pools
Length is 1.32 x Eiffel Tower

 

[Latexman]

Does anyone foresee restrictions, or more severe restrictions, on these monster ships before they enter the Suez?

Good Luck,
Latexman

 

[JohnRBaker]

Here's the latest satellite image of the entrance to the Suez Canal showing the ships that are starting to back-up:

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

The brother sent this

https://youtu.be/tGXTrcQ5wm8

The dynamics of a big boat close in to the sides apparently is quiet involved.

 

[JohnMcNutt]

Does anyone foresee restrictions, or more severe restrictions, on these monster ships before they enter the Suez?

One day while overlooking the Golden Gate, I saw a large tanker pass under into the Bay. It was being closely followed dead center by a large tug that appeared to be doing not much of anything. I speculate it was there to take immediate action if things got out of hand?

 

[JohnRBaker]

And here's a segment by our old pilot friend Juan Browne:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLFmojnXtk0

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[RedSnake]

Anybody who knows where the direction value in VesselFinder coms from ?

Best Regards A

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.“
Albert Einstein

 

[hokie66]

Rather than restrict the size of ships which can use the Suez, I imagine there will be planning underway to extend the two channel system throughout. The Panama Canal now has two channels, one of which can take larger ships than the 'Panamax' ones the original channel caters for.

 

[RedSnake]

Seems they are trying to get it loos now..

BR A

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.“
Albert Einstein

 

[JohnRBaker]

This appears to be the latest report (from less than 30 minutes ago) of the progress to free the ship:

Live Updates: Scramble Against Time to Free Ship Stuck in Suez Canal

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/27/world/suez-canal-stuck-ship

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[itsmoked]

Does anyone foresee restrictions, or more severe restrictions, on these monster ships before they enter the Suez?

Sure. An easy one will be size verses wind gusts. Bigger ones will probably be required to wait for favorable weather conditions now.


I can't understand why ANY more ships would be piling up waiting. They already must be knowing it will take a month to get thru this mess then waiting to unload in the big rush at the other end. Pay the 7 or 8 day penalty of going around instead and still deliver faster. Odd.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[RedSnake]

I think the others are hoping they will pull it off tonight when the tide comes.

It seems they have taken a coffee brake now...

BR A

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.“
Albert Einstein

 

[JohnRBaker]

Transiting the canal allows the ships to avoid the waters where the pirates operate. Besides, I suspect that a lot of owners won't pay the insurance for the around Cape of Good Hope passage.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[LittleInch]

They can apparently transit 100 vessels a day. It will take a week to clear the back log once they free it up.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[verymadmac]

Oh well, when they widen this section to allow 2 lines, they will be able to build a giant berm as a wind break with the tailings.

I wonder how much heel angle it was subjected to when the gusts hit it.

If it can't keep its heading with a 50 knt cross wind, how does it go in a typhoon?

 

[TugboatEng]

McNutt, here in SF, all tank vessels with more than a certain volume of oil are required to have tug escort. The tug centerlead aft is there to act as brakes or steer the ship in the event of failure. With that said, studies have found tugs to be largely ineffective at steering ships at speeds above 6 knots. Puget Sound has adopted a lower speed limit as a result but other ports have not.

 

[RedSnake]

Well if it was a gust it must have come from the right side starboard side, because when you look at the video that Alistair posted one can see that he is going a bit to the left, but then the direction goes very fast to right like he is trying to compensate and then isn't fast enough to get the right heading back.
But I do not know where this direction value comes from

BR A

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.“
Albert Einstein

 

[RedSnake]

can't understand why ANY more ships would be piling up waiting.

Some of the cargo ships are livestock ships they have a problem with geting water and feed to the animals, both if they are waiting but also if they are going around a guess.
Do not know what is worse.

Best Regards A

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.“
Albert Einstein