# A U.S. Marshals scenario and real world consequences \[bulk grain freighters\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 12, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646 "2025-12-12T19:37:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/1 "2025-12-12T19:37:22Z")
Actually, I’ve seen this scenario numerous times: Two guys are fighting to the death in the vast hold of a ship. They’re in a grain shipment. One of them appears to be done in, then he rises out of the grain, and is shot dead. The question is: would they legally have to jettison the whole grain shipment? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/2 "2025-12-12T20:08:03Z")
Is grain shipped loose in the hold of a cargo ship? I would expect it to be shipped in containers of some sort. So my guess is that your scenario is something that Hollywood thinks looks cool, but probably has no basis in reality. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/3 "2025-12-12T20:11:34Z")
Jettison for…what? For the grain being contaminated with blood, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/4 "2025-12-12T20:17:31Z")
All manner of grains can be shipped in bulk - its known as dry bulk freight, and the ships as bulk carriers. And I’m sure I’ve seen the same gunfight happen in a grain silo and some sort of food factory as well. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/5 "2025-12-12T20:30:42Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Actually, I’ve seen this scenario numerous times: Two guys are fighting to the death in the vast hold of a ship. They’re in a grain shipment. You know, you don’t always have to ride in the grain hold. . . They do have _cruise ships_ which are much more fun. Tripler . . . and a lot less gun-fighty on NCL. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/6 "2025-12-12T20:52:34Z")
Once the ship reaches port, it will be quarantined as a crime scene. A crane will probably eventually be used to remove a large amount of the grain surrounding where the body was, and samples will be taken from other areas in the hold. The grain will be offloaded into silo(s) and held in mitigation until the sample testing shows that the shipment can be considered safe (most likely) or not. That’s my guess anyway, from what I know of bulk shipping. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/7 "2025-12-12T20:53:45Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Is grain shipped loose in the hold of a cargo ship? I would expect it to be shipped in containers of some sort. So my guess is that your scenario is something that Hollywood thinks looks cool, but probably has no basis in reality. Grain is very commonly shipped loose in cargo holds of ships. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/8 "2025-12-12T21:04:23Z")
People die in grain bins, they are like quicksand. You would not want to hide in a bin full of grain unless you were in a movie. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/9 "2025-12-12T21:15:25Z")
Between the quicksand effect (and they’re worse) and the possible almost instantly toxic gases, this is very good advice. Those are very dangerous to go into unless you know exactly what you’re doing, and are not all that safe even if you do. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/10 "2025-12-12T23:14:41Z")
In compartments, though, right? A big hold with freely flowing material would be vulnerable to the free surface effect, which is bad for ships. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/11 "2025-12-12T23:33:31Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > And I’m sure I’ve seen the same gunfight happen in a grain silo and some sort of food factory as well. In _The Witness_, Harrison Ford kills a bad guy by dumping a silo full of grain on him, battering and asphyxiating him to death. The scene traumatized me for a while as a child. [It’s still pretty brutal.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDoj_T5cYhE) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/12 "2025-12-13T00:01:06Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > People die in grain bins, they are like quicksand. You would not want to hide in a bin full of grain unless you were in a movie. A friend’s brother did that back when I was in 5th or 6th grade. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/13 "2025-12-13T00:18:16Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > People die in grain bins, they are like quicksand. From [reading up on it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_entrapment), it’s like _movie_ quicksand, and really does “suck people down”. Not to mention sometimes forming unstable voids that immediately collapse under the weight of a person. > Once entrapment begins, it happens very quickly due to the suction-like action of the grain.[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_entrapment#cite_note-NYT_grain_entrapment_story-4) Researchers in Germany found that an average person who has sunk into grain once it has stopped flowing can get out only as long as it has not reached knee level; at waist level assistance is required. Once the grain has reached the chest a formal rescue effort must be undertaken.[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_entrapment#cite_note-1971_German_study-8) > Half of all entrapment victims eventually become engulfed.[[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_entrapment#cite_note-2014_Agweb_article-5) A human body in grain takes seconds to sink, minutes to suffocate, and hours to locate and recover. Recovered bodies have shown signs of [blunt force trauma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blunt_force_trauma) from the impact of the grain; one victim was found to have a dislocated jaw. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/14 "2025-12-13T01:41:10Z")
As long as the ratio of blood and gore is below a certain threshold set by the FDA, you’re okay. For example, every 100 grams of chocolate may contain up to 60 insect fragments, one rodent hair, and a few micrograms of Tommy Smothers. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/15 "2025-12-13T02:18:22Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > A friend’s brother did that back when I was in 5th or 6th grade. I also knew a guy who died that way in a farm silo. I was really silent on the way home after watching _Witness_ in a theatre when it came out. My buddy eventually asked me what was up. I told him. He just said “Oh” and we were both quiet for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/16 "2025-12-13T05:24:25Z")
Very large ones: [![](https://www.dnv.com/contentassets/6543804e67ca44e99ecf8c152d9dc150/tr25_2025_358.jpg) ](https://www.dnv.com/contentassets/6543804e67ca44e99ecf8c152d9dc150/tr25_2025_358.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan\_myers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@aruvqan\_myers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan_myers)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/17 "2025-12-13T09:43:59Z")
Although there is sort of a service that can hook passengers up with transit in freighters that have a couple ‘passenger’ cabins. Cheaper than traditional cruises - you eat the same chow the crew does, nothing particular offered other than the cabin and passage. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/18 "2025-12-13T12:34:14Z")
Earlier this year the Dope did some research on the “passenger on a freighter” thing for another thread. As of then the availability worldwide had been exactly zero for a number of years; more or less since COVID, if not before. The whole industry “just said no” to passengers on their freight ships, period. I now see the pax on freighters thing has since picked up from zero to teeny. See **[Cargo Ship Voyages](https://www.cargoshipvoyages.com/)** for more. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/19 "2025-12-13T13:10:28Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2025, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646/20 "2025-12-13T13:29:31Z")
> [@aruvqan\_myers](#): > > Although there is sort of a service that can hook passengers up with transit in freighters that have a couple ‘passenger’ cabins. Cheaper than traditional cruises - you eat the same chow the crew does, nothing particular offered other than the cabin and passage. There’s a bulk freighter in Cleveland that’s been turned into a floating museum, the Mather. It had a few passenger rooms, but the passengers ate with the officers, from a fairly fancy menu, in a nice dining room, not in the galley that resembled a school cafeteria with the crew. The biggest problem with the accommodations would be that the passenger quarters were on the opposite end of the ship from the dining room, with the only way to get from end to end being the exposed top deck, and the Great Lakes often get unpleasant weather. And yes, grain was one of the cargoes that the Mather often carried, along with iron ore or coal. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-u-s-marshals-scenario-and-real-world-consequences-bulk-grain-freighters/1025646.md?page=2)