# 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:** 3
**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:** [March 24, 2021, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/41 "2021-03-24T12:03:52Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > How were the winches used to right battleships at Pearl Harbor anchored? They used a technique called parbuckling. it took _months_ to build the structure to hold all the cranes in place. ---
**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 24, 2021, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/42 "2021-03-24T12:21:16Z")
Today it’s being reported that the issue was not a loss of power. They’re saying a GUST OF WIND caused it to run aground. Highest reported gusts in the region were 31 mph yesterday. That won’t move my car, they expect me to believe it would move a ship that big enough to run it aground? > Early reports speculated the vessel suffered a loss of power, but the ship’s operator, Evergreen Marine Corp, told Agence France-Presse it ran aground after being hit by a gust of wind. > **[Giant ship blocking Suez canal partially refloated](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/24/huge-container-ship-blocks-suez-canal-evergreen)** > > Tugboats work to free 400-metre ‘megaship’ as vessels gather at either end of key waterway ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/43 "2021-03-24T12:22:56Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > That won’t move my car, they expect me to believe it would move a ship that big enough to run it aground? Does your car present a flat surface 1000+ feet long and 200+ feet high? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/44 "2021-03-24T12:25:25Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I didn’t know Francesco Schettino was working again. > [@Voyager](#): > > Shit. I was hoping the reason was the Captain letting a kid steer on taking your kid to work day. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only disaster voyeur in the world, then people drop comments like this into a thread and I realize that I am not the only one. > [@Velocity](#): > > Wonder what militaries would benefit from the Suez being obstructed? (not saying this Evergreen vessel is deliberate, just hypotheticaling.) The point might not be to inconvenience militaries. It could be part of economic warfare, as the impact on economies would be significant. > [@Morgyn](#): > > Highest reported gusts in the region were 31 mph yesterday. That won’t move my car, they expect me to believe it would move a ship that big enough to run it aground? Side of the ship + the surface area of the cargo stacked on deck results in a very large “sail” area. Sure, sounds plausible to me. Most folks don’t appreciate just how powerful air movement can be against a large surface area. It’s why a 35mph gust of wind can overturn a semi-trailer truck while your much smaller car/SUV just jiggles a little. ---
**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 24, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/45 "2021-03-24T12:28:50Z")
Cranes don’t need tractive force; just their weight and winches. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/46 "2021-03-24T12:43:47Z")
look for crane disasters on youtube. [Heavy Crane Accident Compilation Part 01 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkDosFFLdLg&ab_channel=Chan27) ---
**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 24, 2021, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/47 "2021-03-24T12:48:40Z")
Their booms wouldn’t be necessary either. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/48 "2021-03-24T12:50:29Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Cranes don’t need tractive force; just their weight and winches. The vessel has a deadweight tonnage of 200,000 tons. How much do the cranes weigh? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/49 "2021-03-24T13:02:31Z")
Removing cargo from this ship will not be an easy task. Even the biggest mobile crane is probably not tall enough to do it. They’ll probably have to bring in a construction crane. ---
**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 24, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/50 "2021-03-24T13:10:39Z")
Again. They don’t need to lift the ship. They just need to pull the bow and stern in opposite directions, just like the tugs are trying to do without the benefit of statuary land under them. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/51 "2021-03-24T13:10:49Z")
It has a capacity of over 20,000 containers. Even with, say, 4 or 6 construction cranes, how long would it take to move even 10% of them, or 2,000 containers? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/52 "2021-03-24T13:14:12Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Cranes don’t need tractive force; just their weight and winches. Maybe not tractive force (as in rotating the wheels), but they do need traction, which is a function of their deadweight and the surface they’re sitting on. Check out a big crane: > **[Mobile crane LTM 11200-9.1](https://www.liebherr.com/en/usa/products/mobile-and-crawler-cranes/mobile-cranes/liebherr-mobile-cranes/ltm-11200-9.1.html)** > > The maximum lifting capacity of a Liebherr all-terrain crane, combined with the longest telescopic boom in the world. It can hoist 1200 tons, but it only weighs about 200 tons. Even on pavement, it wouldn’t be able to achieve a lateral pull any bigger than the biggest tugboats; it’ll just start sliding. Moreover, there aren’t that many of those big-ass cranes in the world. > [@Morgyn](#): > > Highest reported gusts in the region were 31 mph yesterday. That won’t move my car, they expect me to believe it would move a ship that big enough to run it aground? Strange you would equate your car with a container ship. Perhaps you’re not aware of the scale involved here? Container ships are immense. **[This CNN article](https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/24/middleeast/suez-canal-container-ship-intl-hnk/index.html)** shows a pic of the bow, with homo sapiens included for scale. **[According to Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_Given#/media/File:EVER_GIVEN_(49643352087)_(cropped).jpg)**, it’s 1300 feet long, and with a full load of containers, looks to be maybe 150-200 feet tall. Not going to do the math this morning, but a 40-knot wind will create a LOT of lateral force on something like this. ---
**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 24, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/53 "2021-03-24T13:16:32Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Maybe not tractive force (as in rotating the wheels), but they do need traction, which is a function of their deadweight and the surface they’re sitting on There’s this cutting-edge technology called “anchors”. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/54 "2021-03-24T13:18:55Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Someone talk me down from the paranoia? The ship is carrying over 10,000 solid steel boxes filled with ten to forty tons of inert goods. It is beyond inconceivable that a terrorist organization could get a significant portion of one of the largest container ships in the world filled with explosives. Evergreen has contracts with customers trying to get their goods from place to place, and partners with their own customers, paying thousands of dollars per box to get them moved. Every box on the ship has a source and a destination, which would need to be faked hundreds of times over. It would cost millions to create this attack, and you wouldn’t get more than a couple hundred people targeted, operators of cranes, tugs and other gear. ---
**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 24, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/55 "2021-03-24T13:19:11Z")
Can a construction crane lift a full shipping container? For a crane like [this](https://d1j1hju86akilu.cloudfront.net/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/034/gruat2.jpg), I think the lifting capacity goes down the farther from the tower the load is. The way the ship is turned, you might be able to unload containers near the bow or stern, but not those amidships. If unloading the whole ship does become the best option for moving it, could they build towers near each end and string cables over the ship (as if you were building a suspension bridge), and use those to hoist the cargo off? ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/56 "2021-03-24T13:21:09Z")
You can see why they’re talking about digging out the sand under it to refloat it, as a better option. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/57 "2021-03-24T13:25:13Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > There’s this cutting-edge technology called “anchors”. You’re right, I guess all those people who are actually working on the problem are complete idiots. ---
**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 24, 2021, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/58 "2021-03-24T13:28:04Z")
I’m not saying there aren’t reasons for not using cranes (probably availability), just not your reasons. ---
**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 24, 2021, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/59 "2021-03-24T13:28:34Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Today it’s being reported that the issue was not a loss of power. They’re saying a GUST OF WIND caused it to run aground. “A gust of wind hit the ship.” “Is that unusual?” 'Oh, yeah. In the desert? Chance in a million." ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2021, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516/60 "2021-03-24T13:29:14Z")
In that photo @GreenWyvern shared, if you zoom in to the bow of the ship (on the right) you can see what I assume is a digger attempting to move sand or whatever from the bank. Gives a good perspective how huge these ships are. Another thing I noticed from the photos is the water level - looks like the canal is filled to the brim, so perhaps waiting for high(er) tide is not possible - maybe it is already at high tide and it’s not enough. It is interesting conjecture about a nefarious plot, but given where the ship is stuck, I am going with Hanlon’s Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”, or just simply a gust of wind. Sometimes, sh!t happens. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-suez-canal-blocked-by-a-mega-sized-container-vessel-cleared/938516.md?page=4)