 |
Guardian: Wind ... or worse: was pilot error to blame for the Suez blockage?
Author: WebDigger
Date: 04-03-2021 - 10:35
"In a way, the grounding of Ever Given was the best case scenario for a large maritime disaster, apart from the expensive hiccup to the smooth sailing of global trade. Nobody was hurt; nothing was polluted. The speed of the ship’s liberation – six days - can be a source of pride to Egyptians, with their plucky tugs and tireless excavators, though the wisdom of sending a ship that had rammed into a bank at speed, up the canal using its own engine, would have most maritime safety experts scratching their heads. It has provoked useful debate on what could make Suez safer: should ships be escorted by tugs, though Egypt doesn’t have enough to share out amongst the convoys? Should ships downsize to more manageable proportions?
“This incident,” said Platten in a statement, “has brought to stage the importance of global shipping to daily life, and the delicate nature of the global supply chain it underpins.” Will we, with our insatiable desire for consumer goods, which is the reason these giant ships exist, question whether the price of what we get is worth the cost? “It takes 1,500 people and Jack dying on the Titanic for us to put more lifeboats on vessels,” says Mercogliano. “Maritime laws are written in blood.”"
-- [www.theguardian.com]
“This incident,” said Platten in a statement, “has brought to stage the importance of global shipping to daily life, and the delicate nature of the global supply chain it underpins.” Will we, with our insatiable desire for consumer goods, which is the reason these giant ships exist, question whether the price of what we get is worth the cost? “It takes 1,500 people and Jack dying on the Titanic for us to put more lifeboats on vessels,” says Mercogliano. “Maritime laws are written in blood.”"
-- [www.theguardian.com]
