I’ve been reading with interest about the large Panamax Evergreen container vessel that’s blocking the Suez canal. The vessel was heading north bound through the Suez canal with a Suez canal pilot onboard was making its way into the Mediterranean sea.
Evidently the ship ran into high winds and dust storm? The vessel which is huge acted like big sail and the wind blow it off course were it collided with the starboard side of the bank. Inertia caused the stern end to keep traveling forward so the whole vessel slew sideways with stern crashing to the port side bank.
The vessel is now stuck fast. The problem is the vessel is fully laden with containers and the salvage operators on the scene Smit of Holland are worried about the integrity of the hull, due to tidal height variations. It appears the canal might be shut for weeks. Containers might need to be removed to lighten the load to maintain the hulls structural integrity.
Heavy lifting barges might needed to be brought in to remove the containers, due to sheer height of the tightly packed container ship. This is causing disruption to cargo movements which will mean vessels being diverted around the Cape of Good Hope South Africa.
I think I might of mentioned on earlier post that when I do my circumnavigation I won’t be transiting any man made shipping canals. I did transit of the Panama canal a few years ago in a cruise ship it was fasinating to watch the electrical mules pull the ships through the lock section of the canal. But the new lock gates built recently were for the likes of the Evergreen Panmax container ships. They don’t use the electrical mitsubshi mule system, but giant tugs that are tetherd to the bow and the stern of the Panmax container ships.
Panama Electrical Mule
New Panmax lock gates Panama canal
The globalised world economy uses sea shipping of goods and freight because its by far the most econmical way to transport good around the world. But there is a problem with the sheer size of these vessels? If and when there’s a grounding or a sinking, or in this case the blocking of the ship canal, it becomes a huge salvage problem. These huge vessels are built for economical freight reasons, ship more goods use less ships, but when is big too big?
This century is massive wake up call for humanity, covid 19 which is due to man constantly encroaching wildlife. Stuff being shipped around the world that many of us don’t want or need? We must learn to live a much more minimalistic life style? When is enough enough? I listen to the radio announcing that the UK government is sending out constantly in how to help businesses to export to China, India and far beyond? What a paradox? We can’t send goods across the english channel due to Brexit? All the costs involved, paperwork, transport cost, not particularly eco friendly I ask myself shipping good to the other side of the world?
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/today-in-focus/id1440133626?i=1000515107892