The Suez Canal is currently not blocked

Associate
Joined
15 Sep 2008
Posts
2,477
For my crypto friends:

ship_01.jpg
 

Deleted member 66701

D

Deleted member 66701

Surely if you managed to nab a job on there doing something it would also be a lot cheaper?

Not possible.

Can I work on board for a discounted fare?

It is not possible to work your passage under any circumstances; as you would expect crew members are trained to a very high standard to ensure the safety of the vessel, cargo and passengers.
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Aug 2008
Posts
4,232
Location
North Sea
My employer at least must be hopeful about the Ever Given being refloated, as the ship I’m on passed through the Straits of Gibraltar this morning, on course to arrive at an anchorage off Malta on Wednesday.

I’ve seen a few of our sister ships rerouted back out of the Med, and then turn south into the Atlantic to go around the Cape of Good Hope though, so it looks like they’re hedging their bets.
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Apr 2003
Posts
3,326
Location
South North West
I’ve seen a few of our sister ships rerouted back out of the Med, and then turn south into the Atlantic to go around the Cape of Good Hope
Is that safe for big container vessels? Clearly plenty of ships go that way, but I was under the impression that you don't go that way if you can help it. I guess the risk of delays with some cargo is worse than the risk of losing containers (or worse) in tough conditions.

Your profession isn't one I envy. We take for granted the movement of so much stuff over such great distances, but it's not a risk-free enterprise. More power to your, er... whatever the aquatic equivalent of elbow is.
 
Associate
Joined
28 Dec 2003
Posts
1,031
Location
Scotland / Norfolk
Is that safe for big container vessels? Clearly plenty of ships go that way, but I was under the impression that you don't go that way if you can help it. I guess the risk of delays with some cargo is worse than the risk of losing containers (or worse) in tough conditions.

Your profession isn't one I envy. We take for granted the movement of so much stuff over such great distances, but it's not a risk-free enterprise. More power to your, er... whatever the aquatic equivalent of elbow is.

Plenty safe. Just (a lot) more expensive and weeks longer due to the extra distance.

As long your cargo is properly secured you shouldn't lose any of it short of passing through a hurricane. Weather forecasting is very good these days so if the ship is concerned over an upcoming weather system they can generally route around it. Obviously incidents of lost containers etc do happen but these are pretty rare and often its turns out to be more to do with how the cargo was loaded than anything else. Going round the Cape isn't particularly more hazardous than many other parts of the world and many ships regularly take this route.
 
Caporegime
Joined
8 Sep 2005
Posts
29,917
Location
Norrbotten, Sweden.
I imagine living on a Cargo freighter to be exactly like living on an oil rig. IE boring AF, mind numbing, monotonous noise.

Depending on your crew you could be eating curry with your hands for every meal :p

Someone said a floating Butlins... lol deffo 1990s furniture ftw.

Honestly not a romantic experience at all. Probably -50x slower and 5x more expensive than a flight too..
 
Associate
Joined
31 Dec 2010
Posts
2,427
Location
Sussex
For my crypto friends:

ship_01.jpg
What that image shows, and which I hadn't thought of until now, is that in s narrow canal tugs aren't the only option by far.
Although installing a land based winch would take time too.
And while the canal is only 200m, there's no way the canal authority could keep a 250m wide crane able to run up and down there just in case you offload containers.
A few more facilities along the route could come in handy though, like a few big barges and large barge cranes in case they have to lighten a ship.
Although going by some of the stories in this thread, Egypt sees the canal as a cash cow and doesn't invest much.
 
Back
Top Bottom