3 ms·

How much longer would it take to go around Africa to Gibraltar?

lb1lf 6y ago
The increase in distance would be approx. 6,000Nm (assuming they arrived at the entrance to the Red Sea before having to change course). 6000Nm and, say, 25 knots (probably a bit on the high side, but not by much) should add 240 hours of steaming or 10 days to the voyage. (This will be somewhat offset by the lower speed through the channel, waiting times &c - I've no idea how long a typical Suez transit is.)
- restalis 6y ago
  "I've no idea how long a typical Suez transit is." For yachts it is (supposed to be) two days. It's one day to Ismailia on either way and then one for the rest. (The paperwork however, may take longer, but can be arranged in advance.) See more at https://www.noonsite.com/report/suez-canal-transit-information/ https://www.noonsite.com/report/suez-canal-transit-informati...
- gala8y 6y ago
  walrus01 linked a video here yesterday [0] of a ship transit. For a ship it takes 11 to 16 hours, including stop on Great Bitter Lake in the middle of the canal. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26561816 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26561816
larzang 6y ago
8 days, but the bigger problem is that increases the expected sea states encountered by several levels. Huge container ships don't like that.
- MuffinFlavored 6y ago
  Can you expand as to why not/what "increases expected sea states encountered" means? Maybe an ELI5
  - s5300 6y ago
    Hoping I'm not misreading and this is what you're after - basically, less predictable weather that is more prone to suddenly changing when going that route and also naturally given the extended period of time involved. Longer it take to go around, the more time for potential sea conditions that large container ships may not be safe in.
  - matt_the_bass 6y ago
    Very rough water around the cape of good hope. Comparatively calm water through the Suez and Med.
  - salawat 6y ago
    Look at a globe. You'll notice that the water around the tip of South America/South Africa is one of the few bands of the Earth completely unbroken by landmass. That's a lot of fetch for wind, which transfers energy to the ocean's surface, which travels as waves, which build up because there's no land damping from west to east. Throw in the Antarctic Circumpolar current and weather systems interacting with the Benguela current an Agulhas current... That's a lot of energy getting put into a relatively tiny band of water. The Cape of Good Hope was previously known as the Cape of Storms based on the aforementioned confluence of forces generally making sea states miserable. The Good Hope part was what putatively happened after you got through it, and the seas you'd have to worry about would generally be calmer.

The increase in distance would be approx. 6,000Nm (assuming they arrived at the entrance to the Red Sea before having to change course). 6000Nm and, say, 25 knots (probably a bit on the high side, but not by much) should add 240 hours of steaming or 10 days to the voyage. (This will be somewhat offset by the lower speed through the channel, waiting times &c - I've no idea how long a typical Suez transit is.)

restalis 6y ago
"I've no idea how long a typical Suez transit is." For yachts it is (supposed to be) two days. It's one day to Ismailia on either way and then one for the rest. (The paperwork however, may take longer, but can be arranged in advance.) See more at https://www.noonsite.com/report/suez-canal-transit-information/ https://www.noonsite.com/report/suez-canal-transit-informati...
gala8y 6y ago
walrus01 linked a video here yesterday [0] of a ship transit. For a ship it takes 11 to 16 hours, including stop on Great Bitter Lake in the middle of the canal. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26561816 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26561816

larzang 6y ago

8 days, but the bigger problem is that increases the expected sea states encountered by several levels. Huge container ships don't like that.

MuffinFlavored 6y ago
Can you expand as to why not/what "increases expected sea states encountered" means? Maybe an ELI5
- s5300 6y ago
  Hoping I'm not misreading and this is what you're after - basically, less predictable weather that is more prone to suddenly changing when going that route and also naturally given the extended period of time involved. Longer it take to go around, the more time for potential sea conditions that large container ships may not be safe in.
- matt_the_bass 6y ago
  Very rough water around the cape of good hope. Comparatively calm water through the Suez and Med.
- salawat 6y ago
  Look at a globe. You'll notice that the water around the tip of South America/South Africa is one of the few bands of the Earth completely unbroken by landmass. That's a lot of fetch for wind, which transfers energy to the ocean's surface, which travels as waves, which build up because there's no land damping from west to east. Throw in the Antarctic Circumpolar current and weather systems interacting with the Benguela current an Agulhas current... That's a lot of energy getting put into a relatively tiny band of water. The Cape of Good Hope was previously known as the Cape of Storms based on the aforementioned confluence of forces generally making sea states miserable. The Good Hope part was what putatively happened after you got through it, and the seas you'd have to worry about would generally be calmer.