Suez Canal Blockage

**Artos** · 03-26-21, 12:54

Journalism 101...saying traffic has resumed??

**KUSA** · 03-26-21, 14:43

Perhaps they could blow it up and pull the pieces out.

**matemike** · 03-26-21, 14:56

I am a ship pilot myself, but here in the states.

Yes, vessels take a pilot to transit the Suez canal. Probably a couple of different pilots for the entire 120 mile transit with a potential for anchoring in the lake in the middle of the two narrow sections. This particular ship was said to have been 5th in a convoy of northbound ships that day with several more behind her.

Lots of speculation. I've seen comments from a Suez pilot saying a gust of wind caused the initial problem. That could happen.
Anyone want to speculate what side the wind would have come from to make her steer to stbd? Hint: It has to do with the vessels pivot point while making headway.
Not ruling that out. A wind gust could have initiated the track I saw where it appeared she sheared off the east bank, then the west bank even harder and finally slammed into the east bank bow first.

According to the reports of the convoy though, she was the only one that lost complete control in this "wind gust". So is the wind gust solely to blame? If it was so windy, I believe pilots world wide would shut down transits until the wind slacked off.

Another comment suggested that the Captain said "the bridge team lost control of the ship"...so a loss of steering?, loss of the engine?, a total blackout of the whole vessel? Or was it literally a loss of control and human error will be the majority factor? Anyone in the maritime industry would not want to hear that.

It might even be a combination of all that.

Now we all need to know that when a vessel has a pilot on board and is in “pilotage waters” the bower anchors (usually two, so both anchors) are made ready for emergency use. This means they can be dropped by simply releasing a static brake. This can be done without any power in the event of a loss of steering, or blackout, or any imaginable emergency scenario where the vessels “way” would need to be drastically reduced or stopped. On top of that there needs to be a means from doing this from the vessels bridge location or it is required that a person who is competent it emergency releasing of the anchor(s) and setting the brake will be standing by at the anchor winches and have direct comms available, usually a radio. This persons is usually of officer status or at minimum a Bosun.

If a blackout or loss of steering occurred, why didn’t the captain nor the pilot order the anchor(s) to be dropped? Or were they not ready? Or was there a malfunction there? I’m not saying that deploying could have stopped or even really slowed the vessel. But so far in all the photos and reports neither anchor was released. It will come up in court I’m sure.
Sorry. I’m starting to Monday morning quarterback now.

Simply, no one, at least on this side of the world, is privy to anything just yet. We may never be.

With all this in mind, the only pictures I have seen are the ones with several large tug boats on site pushing and pulling, trying to free her. And the one little excavator scratching dirt off her bow. I think I saw a dive vessel on site today on AIS apps. But I want to know where are the dredge vessels? Where is a drag line operation that can move mounds of dirt long distances? As mentioned above, where are the water jets to start blowing the sediment clear from the stuck portions of the ship? And lastly, where is a lightering vessel with a big crane to start picking off containers to decrease her draft? I realize we are half a world away and that every one of those questions has a legitimate answer. But that's just where I am right now.

It sucks for all involved no doubt.