# Breaking News: Suez Canal blocked by a mega-sized container vessel \[Cleared\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 23, 2021, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516 "2021-03-23T21:52:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/1 "2021-03-23T21:52:38Z")
This happened this morning, and holy cow, this thing is WEDGED. > **[Suez Canal: Rescue mission to recover 'beached whale' ship could take weeks](https://www.cityam.com/suez-canal-blocked-with-mega-container-ship/)** > > Suez Canal latest: Ever Given rescue efforts restart with traffic still blocked I was thinking of cracking a joke about how the captain couldn’t be bothered to get directions, but having the Suez blocked is pretty significant. And, of course, my paranoia is whispering to me (it’s not a clinical paranoia, just my brain being able to conceive of evil scenarios) that this is not a case of _sometimes shit happens_, it’s a case of _someone deliberately blocking the canal and the ship is actually a really HUGE floating bomb and someone is just waiting for the maximum number of emergency personnel and equipment to show up before making things go BOOM_. (There’s always a BOOM tomorrow.) Someone talk me down from the paranoia? And if anyone has ideas about how this happened in the first place or how they might be able to unwedge the ship, I’m interested. Oh, yeah, and if my paranoid scenario were true (instead of just my wildly overactive imagination), how big a crater would a bomb that size make, and how long would it take to repair the Suez Canal? Or would they have to dig a new one? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/2 "2021-03-23T22:03:56Z")
Good image of it here on twitter: [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ExMVQA2VIAUhJWe?format=png](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ExMVQA2VIAUhJWe?format=png) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/3 "2021-03-23T22:06:02Z")
Hah! I was about to post the same image. That’s … something, isn’t it? There is just no room for it to do the ol’ back and forth wiggle. If this were Star Trek, they’d just reverse the flow of the current. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/4 "2021-03-23T22:06:32Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Someone talk me down from the paranoia? Easy there, Tex. If your goal is a terrorist attack on the Suez canal, you don’t have to wait for “the maximum number of emergency personnel and equipment to show up.” You don’t even have to stall the vessel. You just wait for the vessel to reach the most strategic choke point and blow it up right then. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/5 "2021-03-23T22:09:33Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > That’s … something, isn’t it? There is just no room for it to do the ol’ back and forth wiggle. Can’t they use tugboats to move it so it’s parallel to the canal? ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/6 "2021-03-23T22:10:23Z")
Apparently, this is not the first incident this specific ship has been involved with: > **[Hier drückt ein Containerschiff eine Fähre zu Schrott](https://www.tag24.de/amp/hamburg/unfall-hamburg/faehre-unfall-hamburg-elbe-blankenese-hadag-hvv-container-schiff-finkenwerder-967207)** > > Ein riesiges Containerschiff ist am Samstag in Hamburg mit einer Fähre kollidiert. Menschen sind nach ersten Erkenntnissen nicht verletzt worden. | TAG24 (It’s German, but the gist is that this ship managed to push an unladen ferry into the jetty it was moored at.) ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/7 "2021-03-23T22:10:49Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Can’t they use tugboats to move it so it’s parallel to the canal? That’s my thought. They’ll have to get tugboats to deal with it now that it is refloated. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/8 "2021-03-23T22:11:29Z")
If I read the story right, they’ve had every spare tugboat doing that for hours now, with no results. ---
**Author:** ![cardinal\_fang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal_fang/32/15316_2.png) [@cardinal\_fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardinal_fang)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/9 "2021-03-23T22:21:01Z")
Vessel Finder shows no fewer than [eight tugs](https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9811000) on the thing right now (zoom in). ---
**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:** [March 23, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/10 "2021-03-23T22:22:22Z")
From that image, it looks like there are roads on both sides of the canal. A crane on each side pulling the stern and bow in opposite directions seems the obvious solution. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/11 "2021-03-23T22:29:05Z")
As I understand it, the Suez Canal is just a ditch from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. There aren’t any locks to change levels and control the water flow, or which could be damaged by sabotage. While blowing up a ship in the canal would not be trivial, the fix might be as simple as removing the debris and dredging to the required depth. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/12 "2021-03-23T22:34:58Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > If I read the story right, they’ve had every spare tugboat doing that for hours now, with no results. Perhaps it’s just a long, slow process of moving the ship in the right direction, so that the issue will be resolved in a day or so. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/13 "2021-03-23T22:36:58Z")
This reminds me of a scene from the first Austin Powers movie: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/IGiQOCX9UbM/maxresdefault.jpg "Austin Powers - 3 point turn / maneuvering / parking Scene") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGiQOCX9UbM) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/14 "2021-03-23T22:44:55Z")
That’s been posted multiple times in the Twitter thread I found this story in. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/15 "2021-03-23T22:51:50Z")
Just to be clear, I do not actually think this is a terrorist plot. It’s just that every now and again my brain likes to serve up what-if scenarios that are, at best, somewhat plausible but not at all likely. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/16 "2021-03-23T22:58:54Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > From that image, it looks like there are roads on both sides of the canal. A crane on each side pulling the stern and bow in opposite directions seems the obvious solution. I don’t know much about boats and less about cranes, but wouldn’t you need a pretty massive crane for that? These ships are huge. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2021, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/17 "2021-03-23T23:06:43Z")
Would it make things any easier to unload the ship, so it floats higher? As for the deliberate plot idea, it just might be doing more damage by being stuck there than it would by blowing up. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2021, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/18 "2021-03-23T23:12:51Z")
I didn’t know Francesco Schettino was working again. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/19 "2021-03-23T23:17:09Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I don’t know much about boats and less about cranes, but wouldn’t you need a pretty massive crane for that? These ships are huge They wouldn’t be lifting the ship; just straightening it out. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2021, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/20 "2021-03-23T23:18:55Z")
> [@cardinal\_fang](#): > > Vessel Finder shows no fewer than [eight tugs](https://www.vesselfinder.com/?imo=9811000) on the thing right now (zoom in). A)That’s neat. B)How many ships are normally waiting to get through. Granted it’s only been a few hours and those things don’t exactly move all that fast, but there’s a whole lot of them sitting on either side. But maybe that’s normal. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516.md?page=2)