13 ms·

Suez Canal: How are they trying to free the Ever Given?

60 points by ibraheemdev 6y ago

theresistor 6y ago
For smaller salvage operations, salvage tubes (basically balloons) are often used to raise the ship off the bottom. I suspect it's impractical due to the immense mass of this ship, but part of me wonders how large of a balloon you'd need to stick under the bow and stern to refloat it.
callesgg 6y ago
I was looking in to to lifting containers with a helicopter. A Ericsson air crane can lift a light container but not a fully loaded one. Sucking the sand away, seams like the most reasonable alternative.
- guenthert 6y ago
  A Mi-26 should be able to do it. Unloading a container ship with a heavy-lift helicopter is probably cost-prohibitive though ;-}
  - Alupis 6y ago
    No an Mi-26 could not do it. It's maximum lift capacity is 44,000 lbs[1], and these shipping containers weight up to 67,200 lbs[2]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi-26 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi-26 [2] http://containertech.com/about-containers/container-load-capacity-weight-distribution/#:~:text=The%20maximum%20gross%20weight%20of,load%20cannot%20exceed%2067%2C200%20lbs http://containertech.com/about-containers/container-load-cap....
    - souprock 6y ago
      The weight of every container is known. Placement on the ship is carefully determined by computer so that the ship does not capsize or split. The heavy ones would be at the bottom.
      - snypher 6y ago
        Does this make it easier? There's 20,000 cans onboard.
NicoJuicy 6y ago
I'm actually surprised that none of the proposals contain my idea of raising the water level. Mostly copied from 5 minutes ago: > Surround the boat, make a dam somehow and raise the water level. Concrete is dry in 24-48 hours. Sand and wooden poles could be enough. Some ideas on the how, could be found in this video, on how they created a bridge in the middle ages: https://youtu.be/nJgD6gyi0Wk https://youtu.be/nJgD6gyi0Wk I'm pretty sure engineers could find better/faster solutions than what I'm proposing to raise the water level more quickly. Edit: Omg, a record amount of downvotes for suggesting this: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wuVxvQh9Khy7xdIpgCNfVAdo4DqWnhzl/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wuVxvQh9Khy7xdIpgCNfVAdo4Dq... ;) Thanks Arrath for mentioning sheet-pile coffer dams. Edit 2: it seems that timer crib coffer dams are supported for 10-20 meters deep and diagrapragm or cellular cofferdams are used for more than 20 meters. This is the most precise estimate that I could find on duration of construction for a 2100 foot ( 640 meter) cofferdam with a limited workforce ( 16 days! for probably a less sophisticated cofferdam) https://engineering.purdue.edu/CEM/people/Personal/Halpin/Sim/Examples/cofferdams.htm https://engineering.purdue.edu/CEM/people/Personal/Halpin/Si... So, while my suggestion is plausible to execute. It could take too long ( planning + execution). I guess we'll find out if the current solution will work within the current time-frame, since they have a huge amount of dredging to do.
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  For that to work, the dam has to go all the way around the boat, all the way to the bottom of the canal, and create a water-tight (or close enough) seal. That's non-trivial. And then, once the boat is unstuck, then your dam is blocking the canal, and has to be removed, all the way to the bottom, or it becomes a hazard.
  - NicoJuicy 6y ago
    Did you see the video? Going to the bottom of the canal is "only 24" m. The video I gave before shows some ideas on how to do it. Quick thought: A skeleton where the bottom layer is filled with wooden poles ( to stick them firmly in the ground). The rest is a construction that is quicker to create. The ground of the "canal" could be 3D mapped for precise measurements ( a company i know does this). And you'd need some additional meters on top of this to raise the water level.
ggm 6y ago
The risk of the ship sagging or "hogging" is real. Tugboats are putting asymmetrical load on the vessel. These things routinely take km to stop, and km to turn. Moving them against a suction force, is trying to break resistance to being moved. Thats.. putting unusual stress on the frame. These things are not done lightly, especially in a fully loaded ship with a high centre of gravity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmlTk_3NN_g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmlTk_3NN_g shows flexion in a ship during a storm in the indian ocean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Mw6L69b6Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Mw6L69b6Y is less spectacular but also shows how un-rigid these boats are. No amount of intermodal container stacking is going to offset this, and the containers and mounts are not designed to provide rigidity or load to the vessel in this way as I understand it.
veilrap 6y ago
This is just such an amusingly colossal mess, a fitting epilogue to 2020.
JKCalhoun 6y ago
> "Worst case scenario is that she breaks in half because of [uneven] weight distributions." I usually think of "worst case scenarios" as putting things into perspective in a somewhat reassuring way. As in, "Worst case scenario, this takes another week and we have freed up the canal." But wow, that worst case scenario....
Gwypaas 6y ago
The drawings are not at all to scale making it hard to comprehend the issue. The ship has a draft of 16m. the canal is 24m deep in the 121m wide fairway, quickly becoming shallower outside. This allows for the navigation of ships with up to 20m draft. For the actual side gradients see this image: https://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/About/SuezCanal/PublishingImages/canal-charactristic_l.gif https://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/About/SuezCanal/Publish... For extra credit assume some block coefficient and calculate how much sand was moved pushing all the way up to both banks. Both sides are firmly stuck in the banks. This means unloading containers until the front of the ships starts to float again will tip the vessel aft lodging that side even harder. Same with the reverse. So to do that you would need to unload from both sides to not risk cracking the hull or make one side more firmly stuck. Therefore likely unloading from the middle also. Now you need barges and cranes. The vessel is 60m wide and the height is about 70m, say 60m to the highest container. A container may weigh up to 30 tons. It's an awful operation. Really tough challenge.
- souprock 6y ago
  Solution: Mil Mi-26 Wikipedia says: As of 2016, the Mi-26 still holds the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale world record for the greatest mass lifted by a helicopter to 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) – 56,768.8 kilograms (125,000 lb) on a flight in 1982. That is 56.8 to 62.5 tons, depending on the type of ton. Lift two containers at once.
  - Gwypaas 6y ago
    Rebuilding the entire drive train between each lift. The spec says 20 tons in regular operations. Maybe some more switching fuel for payload, but then you need to spend more time refueling and transiting.
ronnier 6y ago
Was this an intentional act or an accident?
- dmoy 6y ago
  Accident. There was very adverse weather during the crossing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/03/25/faq-suez-canal-ever-given/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/03/25/faq-suez-can...
  - ChrisGranger 6y ago
    So was the "ass and dick pic" the ship apparently drew via location tracker, that was posted on Vice, proven to be a hoax? https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdjzb/cargo-ship-suez-canal-dick-pic-ever-given https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdjzb/cargo-ship-suez-canal... Because if this is real, it puts "accident" in a whole new context for me...
    - Alupis 6y ago
      That's some really bad reporting from Vice. That looks like some sort of holding pattern, which would be done to prevent having to drop anchor (if even feasible to do so where they were). Plus, there's all sorts of other lines in that diagram, Vice just chose to ignore everything except the crude joke they wanted to make.
    - robmiller 6y ago
      Remember Carnival's Costa Concordia that capsized in 2012? The captain's lover, a Moldovan dancer, was on the bridge at the time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia_disaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia_disaster https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24733882 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24733882
Laremere 6y ago
The Ever Given being stuck is both easy to understand what's going on, and why it's important; However it's hard to understand why it wasn't easily fixed. This seems to be a good recipe for a viral news story. The Suez Canal has enough name reputation to be at least heard of world wide. The pictures of both the boat simply blocking the canal, and map of all the ships waiting to go through clearly demonstrate the problem. However, I'm finding the response to this laughable. Sure they tried tug boats, but after that didn't work, what are they doing? A single backhoe? Given the importance of this shipping lane, why hasn't every dredging boat in the Mediterranean already been put to work? Can't they at least found a second backhoe?
- Trasmatta 6y ago
  There's obviously a lot more going on than "a single backhoe". The articles says "it will take a combination of dredging, tugging and removing weight from the ship to free it", all of which is being actively worked on. > However it's hard to understand why it wasn't easily fixed. This feels like the type of comments you read when a major internet service goes down. As if resolving a major problem is just a matter of going into the basement and flipping the server on and off. Problems are always more complicated than they look from the outside, and there's almost always a good reason it wasn't "easily fixed".
- awillen 6y ago
  They've engaged some of the most qualified folks with regard to major ship salvage and are working on it. In the mean time, they're trying to do what they can with what's available. It's exceedingly obvious given the scale, importance and national coverage of this that the issue isn't that they can't find a second backhoe. Your condescension isn't warranted at all.
  - Laremere 6y ago
    To make my point more clear: It's not condescension that they're unable to find a second backhoe. I 100% believe that the people solving this problem are doing a way better job than my armchair analysis can provide. What I'm finding interesting about this story is the juxtaposition of how easy it is to understand the problem, but how far from the apparent response the "why don't they just...?" questions are. It seems to be a good recipe for becoming a viral news story ripe for repeated updates.
ksm1717 6y ago
My favorite part of this whole thing is “if I were a canal this is how I’d solve this”. My favorite suggestion so far has been that boats shouldn't need their bow so they can detach it.
- souprock 6y ago
  That is actually a decent idea. The part of the bow causing the most trouble is a bulge that sticks out to the front. Shipping companies sometimes add or remove the bulges as needs change regarding ship speed. That suggests that it could be cut off without sinking the ship. There is equipment that can cut through a ship with a big chain.
  - ksm1717 6y ago
    Why not just make a smaller ship
maerF0x0 6y ago
> More than 150 other vessels have been waiting to pass through the canal I wonder at what point the operating cost of those waiting leads them to just unload and destroy the ship?
- dragonwriter 6y ago
  > I wonder at what point the operating cost of those waiting leads them to just unload and destroy the ship? (1) as I understand the effect of how it is stuck, you have to unload very carefully or you destroy the ship in the process, well before you are done, and (2) unloading a massive cargo ship like this anywhere but a specialized port designed to handle such operations (even if it's not, say, stuck on both sides crossways in the Suez Canal) is...well, perhaps not technically impossible, but not an “oh, sure, we’ll just do that and get things resolved right quick” option.
- ebrenes 6y ago
  That worked really well with the beached whale!
mrfusion 6y ago
Could they put inflatable bags under the ship and then pump in air to lift it out?
- theresistor 6y ago
  This technique is commonly used for smaller marine salvage operations. They're called "salvage tubes".
drives_manuals 6y ago
This: https://imgur.com/a/QXX1ePL https://imgur.com/a/QXX1ePL
httpz 6y ago
Can they try tugging from the ground? A tug boat's tug force is limited by their engine thrust. Maybe they can setup some tugging system near the banks.
gillesjacobs 6y ago
Next time I feel bad about making a mistake in code, I will think of the Ever Given: "At least my mistake can't be seen from space."
dang 6y ago
Recent and related: Suez canal blocked by a massive ship - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26560319 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26560319 - March 2021 (419 comments) Also ongoing: Is that ship still stuck? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26585282 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26585282 - March 2021 (446 comments) It 'Might Take Weeks' to Free Ship Stuck in Suez Canal - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26585480 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26585480 - March 2021 (26 comments)
lnwlebjel 6y ago
The second to last image is interesting because you can see that the water line is not level along the side of the ship - perhaps its momentum caused it to run up a bit? It's hard to tell the scale but they may need to dredge a volume of sand/dirt (estimating) 10m x 60m x 100 m or 60,000 m^3. If they get the dredgers in place they might be looking at 3 days of dredging, if my estimate of 20,000 m^3 per dredger per day is correct. What a project. This thread is pretty informative: https://twitter.com/jsrailton/status/1374942502684405761/photo/3 https://twitter.com/jsrailton/status/1374942502684405761/pho... I'm not even going to guess at how long this will take.
whymauri 6y ago
Some quick points from my dad (an expert on big ships, 20 years at PDVSA as a failures analysis engineer and 12 years building propellers for navies in Latin America): * Work on the ship can most likely only work during high tide. This will prolong the process. * Many of the floating crane barges necessary to offload container weight function via strict contracts. Even if a ship is 'available' leaving a port early is breach of contract, further complicating the logistics of bringing help. The availability of specialized vessels to assist is essentially random right now. * It's an oversight that the Suez Canal allows ships to traverse without tug/tow boats with high wind conditions (which probably led to oversteering). The Panama Canal has a more robust escort system that should probably be replicated in the Suez Canal to prevent this in the future. * The excavators on the shore from earlier today are likely doing absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. Offloading weight via cargo and fuel with good tide conditions is likely to be more useful. * His project estimate to completely remove the ship from the canal SAFELY is six to twenty weeks (worst case) of around the clock planning and operations. Big boats are dangerous and rushing could lead to casualties or even worse blocking hazards. * The biggest roadblock might be procuring the specialized crane barges. He tried to explain to me what the difference was between the specialized cranes necessary for this ship and other crane ships but it went over my head. He loves this stuff, so I can ask him a few other questions. Edit: * I asked him about the helicopter idea and he likes it as an aid to a larger crane operation. He doesn't know much about helicopters, but he does believe that with the right weight/container distribution it could help speed up the process significantly.
- throw_nico 6y ago
  Can you ask him what he thinks about using cofferdams for raising the water level ( instead of lowering it). I'm actually curious in hearing potential problems or ( if it would be plausible) a raw estimation of duration ( since you mentioned 20 weeks, that's a huge timeline). Edit: I don't know anything about this subject. So it's interesting to learn/ask some stuff I wouldn't encounter otherwise.
  - whymauri 6y ago
    He said it works in theory. He didn't estimate timeline, but it would take longer than a weight/crane operation. If the situation was much worse (partial capsize, somehow deeper entrenched on the coast), this might be a more plausible option. With the containers in an accessible location, it should be faster to organize a weight redistribution campaign instead. Just thinking about the logistics of safely building and deconstructing the dam made his head spin a little bit.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
mrfusion 6y ago
So could we dig out one side of the canal and then pull this ship off to the side to work on unloading it?
ToFab123 6y ago
What about a huge vacuum cleaner that can suck out all the sand under the ship. Is such an thing an option?
samstave 6y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzdxnuk-2pM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzdxnuk-2pM This guys channel is fantastic. Check out his other Suez vids - he is a maritime expert, former huge ship captain and very very good at explaining all the concepts.
Clearstory 6y ago
How about: 1: create a THICK cushion that wraps around the entire ship using tires or some other items in bulk, wrapped in enough "netting bags” to maintain consistency of distribution. 2: Create a stable and thick “wall” (potentially using barges placed end to end horizontally with thick steel plates welded together to form a smooth surface, then park the barges next to the ship on both sides. 3: line up tugs properly distributed to maintain stress limits/stability of load, 4: Based on calculating required MTOW, stress and tensile factors, etc., determine the quantity of available military heavy weight helicopters, like the largest (Russian MIL MI-26) which has an MTOW of about 124,000lb, or, less capable but more likely available the American CH-53E Super Stallion, with MTOW of 36,000lb, with several likely aboard nearby US Navy ship. 5: based on number of helicopters distribution of stresses, safety, maximum length, etc, secure or engineer on-site the most suitable wound steel cables to use as tow lines will will be attached to each Heli. 6: Determine optimal distribution/placement of Helis based on all factors and attach them where they will be most suitable, whether evenly distributed on one side, fore or aft, etc. 7: Determine optimal “push points” on ship and create a very large floating inverted “V”, that is sufficiently wide and tall enough to enclose X number of tugs, using baffles to keep tugs astride within the V, so that their combined force will be directed specifically at those points, with cushion/baffles and barge “walls” serving to optimally spread the load without stress. Possibly use two sets, one on either side, fore and aft to counter or offset the rotation/stress of each other. 8: Calculate precise coordination of move, using Heli’s to assist in two ways; “lifting” the ship as much and with as little stress as possible and slowly towing the ship in whichever direction is optimal as tugs push the ship in desired direction, applying offsetting pressure on both sides. 9: reopen Suez Canal, justify costs by comparing to last revenue and finally, 10: drink heavily in nearest port bar. Just a thought.
Clearstory 6y ago
Note: Obviously this all assumes that any one of the steps is feasible, whether it be maximum towing capacity of helicopters versus that required to lift a trillion ton ship an inch off the sand, availability of them, etc. I also considered using British made VTOL Harrier Jump Jets, which, in theory (and I have so far found not a single article even addressing the possibility) could hover as Helis and slowly ramp up speed enough to be of any use without snapping cables or breaking ship. They can’t maintain hover for too long and can’t be too close together, but their potential combined lift capabilities seem worthy of consideration. Plus it will likely be easier to secure as many as needed relatively quick. Also, be VERY helpful if an aircraft carrier could make its way up the canal as close as possible.

60 points by ibraheemdev 6y ago

For smaller salvage operations, salvage tubes (basically balloons) are often used to raise the ship off the bottom. I suspect it's impractical due to the immense mass of this ship, but part of me wonders how large of a balloon you'd need to stick under the bow and stern to refloat it.

callesgg 6y ago

I was looking in to to lifting containers with a helicopter. A Ericsson air crane can lift a light container but not a fully loaded one. Sucking the sand away, seams like the most reasonable alternative.

guenthert 6y ago
A Mi-26 should be able to do it. Unloading a container ship with a heavy-lift helicopter is probably cost-prohibitive though ;-}
- Alupis 6y ago
  No an Mi-26 could not do it. It's maximum lift capacity is 44,000 lbs[1], and these shipping containers weight up to 67,200 lbs[2]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi-26 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi-26 [2] http://containertech.com/about-containers/container-load-capacity-weight-distribution/#:~:text=The%20maximum%20gross%20weight%20of,load%20cannot%20exceed%2067%2C200%20lbs http://containertech.com/about-containers/container-load-cap....
  - souprock 6y ago
    The weight of every container is known. Placement on the ship is carefully determined by computer so that the ship does not capsize or split. The heavy ones would be at the bottom.
    - snypher 6y ago
      Does this make it easier? There's 20,000 cans onboard.

NicoJuicy 6y ago

I'm actually surprised that none of the proposals contain my idea of raising the water level. Mostly copied from 5 minutes ago: > Surround the boat, make a dam somehow and raise the water level. Concrete is dry in 24-48 hours. Sand and wooden poles could be enough. Some ideas on the how, could be found in this video, on how they created a bridge in the middle ages: https://youtu.be/nJgD6gyi0Wk https://youtu.be/nJgD6gyi0Wk I'm pretty sure engineers could find better/faster solutions than what I'm proposing to raise the water level more quickly. Edit: Omg, a record amount of downvotes for suggesting this: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wuVxvQh9Khy7xdIpgCNfVAdo4DqWnhzl/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wuVxvQh9Khy7xdIpgCNfVAdo4Dq... ;) Thanks Arrath for mentioning sheet-pile coffer dams. Edit 2: it seems that timer crib coffer dams are supported for 10-20 meters deep and diagrapragm or cellular cofferdams are used for more than 20 meters. This is the most precise estimate that I could find on duration of construction for a 2100 foot ( 640 meter) cofferdam with a limited workforce ( 16 days! for probably a less sophisticated cofferdam) https://engineering.purdue.edu/CEM/people/Personal/Halpin/Sim/Examples/cofferdams.htm https://engineering.purdue.edu/CEM/people/Personal/Halpin/Si... So, while my suggestion is plausible to execute. It could take too long ( planning + execution). I guess we'll find out if the current solution will work within the current time-frame, since they have a huge amount of dredging to do.

AnimalMuppet 6y ago
For that to work, the dam has to go all the way around the boat, all the way to the bottom of the canal, and create a water-tight (or close enough) seal. That's non-trivial. And then, once the boat is unstuck, then your dam is blocking the canal, and has to be removed, all the way to the bottom, or it becomes a hazard.
- NicoJuicy 6y ago
  Did you see the video? Going to the bottom of the canal is "only 24" m. The video I gave before shows some ideas on how to do it. Quick thought: A skeleton where the bottom layer is filled with wooden poles ( to stick them firmly in the ground). The rest is a construction that is quicker to create. The ground of the "canal" could be 3D mapped for precise measurements ( a company i know does this). And you'd need some additional meters on top of this to raise the water level.

ggm 6y ago

The risk of the ship sagging or "hogging" is real. Tugboats are putting asymmetrical load on the vessel. These things routinely take km to stop, and km to turn. Moving them against a suction force, is trying to break resistance to being moved. Thats.. putting unusual stress on the frame. These things are not done lightly, especially in a fully loaded ship with a high centre of gravity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmlTk_3NN_g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmlTk_3NN_g shows flexion in a ship during a storm in the indian ocean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Mw6L69b6Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Mw6L69b6Y is less spectacular but also shows how un-rigid these boats are. No amount of intermodal container stacking is going to offset this, and the containers and mounts are not designed to provide rigidity or load to the vessel in this way as I understand it.

veilrap 6y ago

This is just such an amusingly colossal mess, a fitting epilogue to 2020.

JKCalhoun 6y ago

> "Worst case scenario is that she breaks in half because of [uneven] weight distributions." I usually think of "worst case scenarios" as putting things into perspective in a somewhat reassuring way. As in, "Worst case scenario, this takes another week and we have freed up the canal." But wow, that worst case scenario....

Gwypaas 6y ago

The drawings are not at all to scale making it hard to comprehend the issue. The ship has a draft of 16m. the canal is 24m deep in the 121m wide fairway, quickly becoming shallower outside. This allows for the navigation of ships with up to 20m draft. For the actual side gradients see this image: https://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/About/SuezCanal/PublishingImages/canal-charactristic_l.gif https://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/About/SuezCanal/Publish... For extra credit assume some block coefficient and calculate how much sand was moved pushing all the way up to both banks. Both sides are firmly stuck in the banks. This means unloading containers until the front of the ships starts to float again will tip the vessel aft lodging that side even harder. Same with the reverse. So to do that you would need to unload from both sides to not risk cracking the hull or make one side more firmly stuck. Therefore likely unloading from the middle also. Now you need barges and cranes. The vessel is 60m wide and the height is about 70m, say 60m to the highest container. A container may weigh up to 30 tons. It's an awful operation. Really tough challenge.

souprock 6y ago
Solution: Mil Mi-26 Wikipedia says: As of 2016, the Mi-26 still holds the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale world record for the greatest mass lifted by a helicopter to 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) – 56,768.8 kilograms (125,000 lb) on a flight in 1982. That is 56.8 to 62.5 tons, depending on the type of ton. Lift two containers at once.
- Gwypaas 6y ago
  Rebuilding the entire drive train between each lift. The spec says 20 tons in regular operations. Maybe some more switching fuel for payload, but then you need to spend more time refueling and transiting.

ronnier 6y ago

Was this an intentional act or an accident?

dmoy 6y ago
Accident. There was very adverse weather during the crossing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/03/25/faq-suez-canal-ever-given/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/03/25/faq-suez-can...
- ChrisGranger 6y ago
  So was the "ass and dick pic" the ship apparently drew via location tracker, that was posted on Vice, proven to be a hoax? https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdjzb/cargo-ship-suez-canal-dick-pic-ever-given https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdjzb/cargo-ship-suez-canal... Because if this is real, it puts "accident" in a whole new context for me...
  - Alupis 6y ago
    That's some really bad reporting from Vice. That looks like some sort of holding pattern, which would be done to prevent having to drop anchor (if even feasible to do so where they were). Plus, there's all sorts of other lines in that diagram, Vice just chose to ignore everything except the crude joke they wanted to make.
  - robmiller 6y ago
    Remember Carnival's Costa Concordia that capsized in 2012? The captain's lover, a Moldovan dancer, was on the bridge at the time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia_disaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia_disaster https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24733882 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24733882

Laremere 6y ago

The Ever Given being stuck is both easy to understand what's going on, and why it's important; However it's hard to understand why it wasn't easily fixed. This seems to be a good recipe for a viral news story. The Suez Canal has enough name reputation to be at least heard of world wide. The pictures of both the boat simply blocking the canal, and map of all the ships waiting to go through clearly demonstrate the problem. However, I'm finding the response to this laughable. Sure they tried tug boats, but after that didn't work, what are they doing? A single backhoe? Given the importance of this shipping lane, why hasn't every dredging boat in the Mediterranean already been put to work? Can't they at least found a second backhoe?

Trasmatta 6y ago
There's obviously a lot more going on than "a single backhoe". The articles says "it will take a combination of dredging, tugging and removing weight from the ship to free it", all of which is being actively worked on. > However it's hard to understand why it wasn't easily fixed. This feels like the type of comments you read when a major internet service goes down. As if resolving a major problem is just a matter of going into the basement and flipping the server on and off. Problems are always more complicated than they look from the outside, and there's almost always a good reason it wasn't "easily fixed".
awillen 6y ago
They've engaged some of the most qualified folks with regard to major ship salvage and are working on it. In the mean time, they're trying to do what they can with what's available. It's exceedingly obvious given the scale, importance and national coverage of this that the issue isn't that they can't find a second backhoe. Your condescension isn't warranted at all.
- Laremere 6y ago
  To make my point more clear: It's not condescension that they're unable to find a second backhoe. I 100% believe that the people solving this problem are doing a way better job than my armchair analysis can provide. What I'm finding interesting about this story is the juxtaposition of how easy it is to understand the problem, but how far from the apparent response the "why don't they just...?" questions are. It seems to be a good recipe for becoming a viral news story ripe for repeated updates.

ksm1717 6y ago

My favorite part of this whole thing is “if I were a canal this is how I’d solve this”. My favorite suggestion so far has been that boats shouldn't need their bow so they can detach it.

souprock 6y ago
That is actually a decent idea. The part of the bow causing the most trouble is a bulge that sticks out to the front. Shipping companies sometimes add or remove the bulges as needs change regarding ship speed. That suggests that it could be cut off without sinking the ship. There is equipment that can cut through a ship with a big chain.
- ksm1717 6y ago
  Why not just make a smaller ship

maerF0x0 6y ago

> More than 150 other vessels have been waiting to pass through the canal I wonder at what point the operating cost of those waiting leads them to just unload and destroy the ship?

dragonwriter 6y ago
> I wonder at what point the operating cost of those waiting leads them to just unload and destroy the ship? (1) as I understand the effect of how it is stuck, you have to unload very carefully or you destroy the ship in the process, well before you are done, and (2) unloading a massive cargo ship like this anywhere but a specialized port designed to handle such operations (even if it's not, say, stuck on both sides crossways in the Suez Canal) is...well, perhaps not technically impossible, but not an “oh, sure, we’ll just do that and get things resolved right quick” option.
ebrenes 6y ago
That worked really well with the beached whale!

mrfusion 6y ago

Could they put inflatable bags under the ship and then pump in air to lift it out?

theresistor 6y ago
This technique is commonly used for smaller marine salvage operations. They're called "salvage tubes".

drives_manuals 6y ago

This: https://imgur.com/a/QXX1ePL https://imgur.com/a/QXX1ePL

httpz 6y ago

Can they try tugging from the ground? A tug boat's tug force is limited by their engine thrust. Maybe they can setup some tugging system near the banks.

gillesjacobs 6y ago

Next time I feel bad about making a mistake in code, I will think of the Ever Given: "At least my mistake can't be seen from space."

dang 6y ago

Recent and related: Suez canal blocked by a massive ship - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26560319 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26560319 - March 2021 (419 comments) Also ongoing: Is that ship still stuck? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26585282 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26585282 - March 2021 (446 comments) It 'Might Take Weeks' to Free Ship Stuck in Suez Canal - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26585480 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26585480 - March 2021 (26 comments)

lnwlebjel 6y ago

The second to last image is interesting because you can see that the water line is not level along the side of the ship - perhaps its momentum caused it to run up a bit? It's hard to tell the scale but they may need to dredge a volume of sand/dirt (estimating) 10m x 60m x 100 m or 60,000 m^3. If they get the dredgers in place they might be looking at 3 days of dredging, if my estimate of 20,000 m^3 per dredger per day is correct. What a project. This thread is pretty informative: https://twitter.com/jsrailton/status/1374942502684405761/photo/3 https://twitter.com/jsrailton/status/1374942502684405761/pho... I'm not even going to guess at how long this will take.

whymauri 6y ago

Some quick points from my dad (an expert on big ships, 20 years at PDVSA as a failures analysis engineer and 12 years building propellers for navies in Latin America): * Work on the ship can most likely only work during high tide. This will prolong the process. * Many of the floating crane barges necessary to offload container weight function via strict contracts. Even if a ship is 'available' leaving a port early is breach of contract, further complicating the logistics of bringing help. The availability of specialized vessels to assist is essentially random right now. * It's an oversight that the Suez Canal allows ships to traverse without tug/tow boats with high wind conditions (which probably led to oversteering). The Panama Canal has a more robust escort system that should probably be replicated in the Suez Canal to prevent this in the future. * The excavators on the shore from earlier today are likely doing absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. Offloading weight via cargo and fuel with good tide conditions is likely to be more useful. * His project estimate to completely remove the ship from the canal SAFELY is six to twenty weeks (worst case) of around the clock planning and operations. Big boats are dangerous and rushing could lead to casualties or even worse blocking hazards. * The biggest roadblock might be procuring the specialized crane barges. He tried to explain to me what the difference was between the specialized cranes necessary for this ship and other crane ships but it went over my head. He loves this stuff, so I can ask him a few other questions. Edit: * I asked him about the helicopter idea and he likes it as an aid to a larger crane operation. He doesn't know much about helicopters, but he does believe that with the right weight/container distribution it could help speed up the process significantly.

throw_nico 6y ago
Can you ask him what he thinks about using cofferdams for raising the water level ( instead of lowering it). I'm actually curious in hearing potential problems or ( if it would be plausible) a raw estimation of duration ( since you mentioned 20 weeks, that's a huge timeline). Edit: I don't know anything about this subject. So it's interesting to learn/ask some stuff I wouldn't encounter otherwise.
- whymauri 6y ago
  He said it works in theory. He didn't estimate timeline, but it would take longer than a weight/crane operation. If the situation was much worse (partial capsize, somehow deeper entrenched on the coast), this might be a more plausible option. With the containers in an accessible location, it should be faster to organize a weight redistribution campaign instead. Just thinking about the logistics of safely building and deconstructing the dam made his head spin a little bit.

deleted 6y ago

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mrfusion 6y ago

So could we dig out one side of the canal and then pull this ship off to the side to work on unloading it?

ToFab123 6y ago

What about a huge vacuum cleaner that can suck out all the sand under the ship. Is such an thing an option?

samstave 6y ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzdxnuk-2pM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzdxnuk-2pM This guys channel is fantastic. Check out his other Suez vids - he is a maritime expert, former huge ship captain and very very good at explaining all the concepts.

Clearstory 6y ago

How about: 1: create a THICK cushion that wraps around the entire ship using tires or some other items in bulk, wrapped in enough "netting bags” to maintain consistency of distribution. 2: Create a stable and thick “wall” (potentially using barges placed end to end horizontally with thick steel plates welded together to form a smooth surface, then park the barges next to the ship on both sides. 3: line up tugs properly distributed to maintain stress limits/stability of load, 4: Based on calculating required MTOW, stress and tensile factors, etc., determine the quantity of available military heavy weight helicopters, like the largest (Russian MIL MI-26) which has an MTOW of about 124,000lb, or, less capable but more likely available the American CH-53E Super Stallion, with MTOW of 36,000lb, with several likely aboard nearby US Navy ship. 5: based on number of helicopters distribution of stresses, safety, maximum length, etc, secure or engineer on-site the most suitable wound steel cables to use as tow lines will will be attached to each Heli. 6: Determine optimal distribution/placement of Helis based on all factors and attach them where they will be most suitable, whether evenly distributed on one side, fore or aft, etc. 7: Determine optimal “push points” on ship and create a very large floating inverted “V”, that is sufficiently wide and tall enough to enclose X number of tugs, using baffles to keep tugs astride within the V, so that their combined force will be directed specifically at those points, with cushion/baffles and barge “walls” serving to optimally spread the load without stress. Possibly use two sets, one on either side, fore and aft to counter or offset the rotation/stress of each other. 8: Calculate precise coordination of move, using Heli’s to assist in two ways; “lifting” the ship as much and with as little stress as possible and slowly towing the ship in whichever direction is optimal as tugs push the ship in desired direction, applying offsetting pressure on both sides. 9: reopen Suez Canal, justify costs by comparing to last revenue and finally, 10: drink heavily in nearest port bar. Just a thought.

Clearstory 6y ago

Note: Obviously this all assumes that any one of the steps is feasible, whether it be maximum towing capacity of helicopters versus that required to lift a trillion ton ship an inch off the sand, availability of them, etc. I also considered using British made VTOL Harrier Jump Jets, which, in theory (and I have so far found not a single article even addressing the possibility) could hover as Helis and slowly ramp up speed enough to be of any use without snapping cables or breaking ship. They can’t maintain hover for too long and can’t be too close together, but their potential combined lift capabilities seem worthy of consideration. Plus it will likely be easier to secure as many as needed relatively quick. Also, be VERY helpful if an aircraft carrier could make its way up the canal as close as possible.