Now the Suez Canal is Blocked

New Zealand and the rest of the world is going to find out very soon what being in deep schtuck is really like. You'll be aware that a Shoei Kisen Kaisha container vessel 400 metres long is stuck in the Suez Canal, which is about 300 metres wide. Oh dear, it's going to hold up global trade for at least a few days, maybe weeks. 

Why can't they move it? The problem is the ship is very big, and if they refloat it incorrectly it could break its back, completely blocking the canal for months. Evidently, right now the Japanese company is sending salvage crews and the right equipment from Japan. In that part of the world all the big salvage vessels are in the Netherlands, as are all the big dredges so they could call on that source if they need to. The canal may have to be widened and dredged to unstick this boat. 

How is this a problem? Well, that's because most of the world's trade heads through the Suez and container vessels such as this tranship through Singapore. With changes initiated by the pandemic, cargo space is already at a premium. Things are going to head downhill real fast now. This is going to get ugly. 

And no, I do not accept that this is a conspiracy. It's a fu** up, that's all, the sort of thing that happens from time to time, bad luck just when you don't need it. How the captain lost all power to his engines will be worth reading about I'm sure. We can all have a laugh about it, as Katie Hopkins said, credit has to go to the Captain for taking COVID off the front page for a change. There is that. 

(Side note: the ship owner is a subsidiary of a big Japanese ship builder. It is operated by Evergreen of Taiwan, probably on a bare boat charter or similar - standard practise. Shoei KK only have about 26 staff I believe, ship owners generally don't have stuff like this happen)