Suez blocked.
- Thread starter burgundyben
- Start date
Kukri
Well-known member
Update. Boskalis say she is only one metre out of her draft. I had been assuming that she was down to her marks when she struck, and was working on two metres.
That means that my calculations for the weight of cargo to be removed are too conservative, particularly when we consider that at high tide on Monday the tide will be 42 centimetres higher than when she stranded.
Sticking with my figure of 200 tons per centimetre immersion that means that the weight of cargo to be removed is much less. I had guesstimated 2,000 forty foot containers at the trade average weight of 22 tons plus 3.75 tons tare. I think the number might be nearer six hundred, and if the SCA and the salvors can clear enough sand away over tte weekend she really might come off with no cargo removed.
That means that my calculations for the weight of cargo to be removed are too conservative, particularly when we consider that at high tide on Monday the tide will be 42 centimetres higher than when she stranded.
Sticking with my figure of 200 tons per centimetre immersion that means that the weight of cargo to be removed is much less. I had guesstimated 2,000 forty foot containers at the trade average weight of 22 tons plus 3.75 tons tare. I think the number might be nearer six hundred, and if the SCA and the salvors can clear enough sand away over tte weekend she really might come off with no cargo removed.
fisherman
Well-known member
Suction dredger now arrived. Plus get a few tugs in close, really close, and use prop scour..... for my money
[2574]
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Homer Simpson's Lovechild
Member
From my time in the Merch , including quite a few transits of The Ditch, anything not welded to the deck would be stolen by the armies of “officials “ and “ Gilly-gilly men”who swarmed aboard like rats.
Simply leave her unattended for a few days and she’ll lose a meter from her draught - then warp her round with bow and stern lines to ground anchors - job’s a good un ‘ .
Simply leave her unattended for a few days and she’ll lose a meter from her draught - then warp her round with bow and stern lines to ground anchors - job’s a good un ‘ .
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
Still think an air dredge or water dredge could do it or the big hole option which could be dug in a day with the right kit which would surely be local.
Uricanejack
Well-known member
Depends where the boat is,
If your just passing Raffles stop in and top up with bunkers on your way again before you have time for a gin sling, clear Mallaca, left hand down a bit, probably already doings so, past malacca probably all sorts of messages flaying back and forth about time, distance, fuel, sufficient on hand or do they need to stop in somewhere.
Just leaving last port of call, plan for long haul and make decision passing Malacca or Gib. Boats already in the Red Sea or half way through the Med pulling a U turn and going the other way, depends how you think it’s going to play out, long or short delay compared to time cost and logistics of going around.
The logistics of turning around from Suez or Port Said are pretty spectacular, At least bunkering is possible, wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t a bit if spike in price. A lot of ships take bunkers while waiting for thier convoy.
A lot will depend on type of ship cargoe and how long it’s is before the cost of waiting exceeds the cost of going around.
with no end in sight, The higher priority higher cost per day guys are probably looking at it already.
Allan
Well-known member
I don't read newspapers, let alone French newspapers, but a reliable source has just told me that Le Figaro has a different slant on this. Egypt and France have recently had a falling out about the Suez pilots, who were predominantly French. The French pilots left, en masses, and the Russians jumped in, training mostly Egyptians as pilots, Le Figaro says one of these new pilots was in charge at the time of the grounding!
Allan
Allan
JumbleDuck
Well-known member
Do the customers normally expect to leave their containers on the dock for two weeks, though?
Stork_III
Well-known member
Both ends are well embedded.
Uricanejack
Well-known member
Depends who you bacshish or dashed ?
I highly recommend a local character from Alex I used to deal with, Spud Murphy, Spuds probably long gone but one of his sons is probably still going by Spud Murphy Just like his grandfather.
Much to my annoyance and embarrassment, My work boots got pinched or disappeared when I went for lunch.
I mentioned Spud was a friend of mine, They were waiting for me by the door of the deck office next morning, freshly polished.
Spud conned me every time I talked to him, but not to much and he made sure nobody else did.
If I needed anything Spud could get it for a special price. I would not be surprised if he could get everything you need. To get a ship unstuck for a special price, or make sure you didn’t
Fr J Hackett
Well-known member
Uricanejack
Well-known member
A nice tale which might go down well with the Vive La France crowd. Nasser Egypt France and the UK fell out over the Canal back in the fifties and Egypt was pretty friendly with Khrushchev, The Suez Pilots have been Egyptian for a while,I am sure most are probably from the right dynasty, go to the right mosque and paid the right person, The possible even wear right rings, whatever they might be.
But even there you don’t get to Pilot a 400m Box boat just after you spent a week on a boating pond in France.
I think you need a Egyptian MM plus an Aprenticship, which will include a trio to the boating pond.
After completing the Apprenticeship,
Then you get to Start on smaller Tonnage Vessels for several years before you get unrestricted tonnage.
I would be surprised if the Pilot wasn’t a pretty senior Pilot,
Whatever the selection process most were pretty good ship handlers.
Ship handling is a skill you learn hands on, The more you do the better you are at it. Piloting is a hands on skill.
I was invited out for dinner by an Aprentice Pilot in Alexandria once upon a long time ago. He was relatively young recently having left the Egyptian Navy, I think he had been a Commander. He very polite very nice and took me to much more exclusive private club than anywhere I would be allowed though the front door of at home.
They used to have a rusty old sub, with a load of weed round the water line which patrolled the anchorage every day. I think you would have to be a man of great faith to ever dive it. I didn’t ask which vessel he had been commander off.
The actual Pilot had been not been paying him much attention. He was pretty new, I was beginning to get known as a professional 3rd. (wasn’t ussualy a compliment). I had been telling him the marks, for the approach and how the Pilot would do the med moor.
I guess he appreciated my impute.
Sometime the worst balls up, are made by the best ship handlers.
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Kukri
Well-known member
Yes. It’s free warehouse space. for buffer stock. We did once try to persuade them out of it. No chance.
Homer Simpson's Lovechild
Member
Was always most impressed by the Gilly-gilly men’s mastery of accents . They could switch from broad Scouse to Glaswegian or Cockney as they climbed the ladder depending on which crewman they were trying to fleece . I guess they do the different Filipino accents now there‘s no British seamen left .Depends who you bacshish or dashed ?
I highly recommend a local character from Alex I used to deal with, Spud Murphy, Spuds probably long gone but one of his sons is probably still going by Spud Murphy Just like his grandfather.
Much to my annoyance and embarrassment, My work boots got pinched or disappeared when I went for lunch.
I mentioned Spud was a friend of mine, They were waiting for me by the door of the deck office next morning, freshly polished.
Spud conned me every time I talked to him, but not to much and he made sure nobody else did.
If I needed anything Spud could get it for a special price. I would not be surprised if he could get everything you need. To get a ship unstuck for a special price, or make sure you didn’t
Alicatt
Well-known member
I don't have a comparable view from a ship as large as that, this one is from the bridge of the Maersk Seville while she was in port at Zeebrugge
If you look just above the white container that is sticking up you can see the foremast
From the starboard wingbridge
From the owners cabin -not much of a view when loaded
She's not that long...!
Stock photo of her, my friend was the ship's master.
For trim she also has ballast tanks to help trim the ship out, the Master let me have a look at the software they use for loading the containers which places it with reference to weight and loading/unloading at the various ports man it is complex!
I wish I had taken my video cam with me on the visit as the speed at which those cranes unload and load the containers is so fast you would hardly think they were just throwing around a box weighing 30tons.
davidpbo
Well-known member
I haven't seen any reference to thrusters in this thread (Might have missed it) Wouldn't the ship have bow and stern thrusters?
Wouldn't they have been on stand by going through a narrow channel?
Wouldn't they have been on stand by going through a narrow channel?
Alicatt
Well-known member
westernman
Well-known member
No thrusters on a box boat like this. In any case, a decent tug is always much more effective.
Even on a normal yacht scale. A dink with a 20hp outboard is much more effective than any thruster you will have a normal sized yacht.
A modern cruise ship however has the grown up sized version of the Volvo IPS.
glynd
Active member
There are a couple of thruster symbols on the bow