[Jeroen]

Got to love the internet: some guy update the Microsoft Flightsimulator scenery:

https://www.iflscience.com/technolog...nOYawPvuXqJ9wc

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Got to love the internet

+1.

Here's more, albeit with some humor. Just love these memes



Source

[V.Narayan]

Hats off to the Captain and the crew of this giant ship for holding their nerves and staying professional through this ordeal. I can only imagine the stress the Master must have been under. This incident may lead to a further widening of the canal at its narrowest points. I doubt they can reduce the size of Suezmax eligible ships.

Also kudos to the crew of the Dutch ships that were used to pull the beached ship out. The Dutch have yet again shown they are the go to guys for rescue and salvage.

[ariesonu]

Originally Posted by VKumar

I have a naive question for the experts:
Do the navy vessels like frigates, destroyers, aircraft carriers etc also require the pilot to help them cross the canal or at ports? Or they simply don't allow even the pilots too, citing the security reasons?
Additionally, if the pilots are allowed, do they expect 'gifts' from navy vessels too?

PILOTS are ex-master mariners (aka Captains), who assist arriving & departing ships to navigate through the restricted waters like Ports, Canals & Lakes. They are well acquainted with depths, turning points, water movements (like strong opposite currents creating by Brahmaputra) when approaching Kolkata & seaports in Bangladesh.
Since most ships will also require local assistance from tugboats, having a Pilot who speaks their language makes life easier & safer.
As junior officer, I once recall my Norwegian Captain struggling with Taiwanese pilot while arriving to berth at Kaohsiung.
My all time favorites are SKAGEN pilots & even in late 90's they use to have women pilots. And traversing those waters is just beautiful.
https://danpilot.dk/pilotage/transit-pilotage/

My most favorite passage is Strait of Magellan but ship has to be smaller.
https://www.marineinsight.com/know-m...you-must-know/
I have always enjoyed doing South American ports, so much so that my wife was pleasantly surprised when almost everyone at Arica port in Chile knew me like people back home.

Yes, A NAVAL ship will also require Pilot, if passing through Suez Canal or restricted waters. Of course a civilian Pilot wouldn't dare ask for anything and most such NAVAL passages are allowed on GOODWILL basis, between countries. An example: IRANIAN ships are NOT allowed to pass through Suez.

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

+1.
Here's more, albeit with some humor. Just love these memes

But no-one & I dare say no-one can do it better than Amul Girl.


Regards.

[sparky@home]

Nasa shares pic of night time view of ship traffic jam on Suez Canal

Nasa shared that they acquired all the images with “Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite.”

“The left image shows typical ship traffic in the Gulf of Suez on February 1, 2021. By March 27, the line of waiting ships stretched 72 kilometers (45 miles). Two days later, ships waited as far as 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the canal entry. According to Leth Agencies, 184 vessels were still waiting to get through on March 30,” they added.

[ruzbehxyz]

Now that the Suez canal has been cleared, take a moment to fathom this. Try to think of any other job where a single screw up, by a SINGLE person has the potential to bring the entire world's supply chains to a grinding halt, and puts the incident on every news channel and WhatsApp group for an entire week or more.

Yeah, that's why Ship Captains rock. Not many other jobs with this amount of responsibility on a single person. Make no mistake, the responsibility of this entire mess is currently on the Captain's shoulders, whether or not it was his fault. That's where the buck stops. On this SINGLE person. And you know what, I know scores of people personally, who sign up for this job and do it phenomenally well, without a second thought about the cost of a single mistake. Knowing fully well that the responsibility for any mistake is set squarely on their shoulders. Often times not even a mistake committed by them, but by somebody else onboard. But that's what we sign up for. And we do it well, and with integrity. Like most of you do your jobs.

In the coming days, we will see the name of the Captain of the Ever Given, then we will read the analyses of how this happened, and how it could have been avoided. Easy to say all that in hindsight, and yes, lessons must be learnt from it. But, please don't be too quick to judge this person and declare him incompetent. You have no idea what they could or could not have done in the circumstances, and what they are going through right now.

Playing a game on the CNN website, and reading a few articles about momentum, bank suction, and effects of wind on steering a large ship does not qualify you to judge a Master Mariner. Hell, BEING a Master Mariner doesn't even qualify you to judge this person. Which is why I will not be judging this person. And neither should anyone.

"You" mentioned in the article is not directly targeted at the person reading it, but a generic representation for all those who think otherwise.

*** Have crossed the Suez canal many times in my 20 years at sea and 5 years as Captain***

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

"You" mentioned in the article is not directly targeted at the person reading it, but a generic representation for all those who think otherwise.
In the coming days, we will see the name of the Captain of the Ever Given, then we will read the analyses of how this happened, and how it could have been avoided. Easy to say all that in hindsight, and yes, lessons must be learnt from it. But, please don't be too quick to judge this person and declare him incompetent. You have no idea what they could or could not have done in the circumstances.

Playing a game on the CNN website, and reading a few articles about momentum, bank suction, and effects of wind on steering a large ship does not qualify you to judge a Master Mariner. Hell, BEING a Master Mariner doesn't even qualify you to judge this person. Which is why I will not be judging this person. And neither should anyone
*** Have crossed the Suez canal many times in my 20 years at sea and 5 years as Captain***

Thank you for your post Captain. Cannot but agree with it 101%. The world of video games and social media have led to instant experts who not only know very little but have been given (by the net) the ability to broadcast to millions often with the intent of playing on the negatives that lurk within each of us. Though I'll say that compared to an aircrash {where unfortunately lives are often lost} the social media/ news media blame game by experts has been a little muted here or at least that is the impression I carry, I might be wrong.

Frankly I cannot even imagine the sheer strength of wind on a slab structure 400 meters long and over 10 storeys high floating in water. Most folks who don't sail or fly don't really understand the immense power of winds.

[ariesonu]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

"You" mentioned in the article is not directly targeted at the person reading it, but a generic representation for all those who think otherwise.

*** Have crossed the Suez canal many times in my 20 years at sea and 5 years as Captain***

The quoted words are written by my dear friend Capt. Malcolm A.Soares of OneOcean Group Singapore. I was intending to copy them here but you beat me to it.

Moreover the ship has declared GENERAL AVERAGE and real circus will start now. For uninitiated, GA or General Average is a subject that even the best of Maritime & Insurance industry wish to avoid but in recent times has become a norm, especially for container ships.

One more interest LINK for all who may be interested.
https://www.wkwebster.com/casualties.php


Regards

[ruzbehxyz]

The owners of the Ever Given are suing its operators after the massive ship spent 6 days lodged in the Suez Canal.

After the massive container ship got stuck and blocked the Suez Canal, the owners of the Ever Given are suing the ship's operators, The Lawyer reported Thursday.

The lawsuit was filed in the High Court in London, The Lawyer reported, and makes reference to "the grounding of the M/V 'EVER GIVEN' along the Suez Canal, Egypt on 23 March 2021." According to the lawsuit, the two defendants listed in the case are the Evergreen Marine Corp. and "all other persons claiming or being entitled to claim damages."

The Ever Given is co-owned by Luster Maritime and Higaki Sangyo Kaisha, two companies based in Japan. It is being leased by Evergreen Marine Corp., a Taiwanese container-transportation company.

Source: https://trib.al/QWaftVp


So Japanese companies are suing a Taiwanese company for an incident, involving a Panama flagged ship, crewed by Indians, sailing in Egypt, through the Courts of London.

[ruzbehxyz]

https://youtu.be/VdLABU_0TBg

Courtesy: Sea and Coast magazine

[BoneCollector]

If someone is interested in trying their hands at sailing the ship through Suez Canal, try it here.

[aargee]

Came across this fantastic, short & brief documentary & sharing it here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RxmRw1kCrc

[V.Narayan]

In a perverse way this incident brought home to many the vital role shipping plays in our lives. Shipping, world wide, is a silent service. We rarely if ever travel as passengers {unlike air transport} and therefore for many it is out of sight and out of mind. Fact is 80% of world trade by volume and 70% by value is transported by sea. Like fresh air we notice shipping only when there was risk of it not being there!

[BoneCollector]

Another ship, an oil tanker faces engine trouble and is being helped by tug boats.

Oil Tanker

Marine traffic slowed in the Suez Canal on Tuesday as oil tanker M/T Rumford appeared to face difficulties in the south of the canal, shipping websites MarineTraffic and TankerTrackers said.

A trade source said that the canal notified companies that the M/T Rumford faced engine trouble in the canal and that it had sent tug boats Tim Hope and Mosaed 3 to its aid.

[ruzbehxyz]

05th April - National Maritime day.

If you really want to know about a Ship Captain’s plight (In a way Seafarers plight) who claims to earn USD15000/Month (Tax free) pls read patiently and decide how painful job it is just because no Government in this world is on his side. *Pls read below till end*
Dear Friends,

Today (5th April) marks the National Maritime Day of India - a day to recognize and acknowledge the social contributions of the shipping industry in general and the seafaring community in particular. And it is only incidental that this year’s celebrations, though shadowed by the Covid Pandemic, happens against the backdrop of the Great Suez Blockade, when “Ever Given” has become a household name across the world. These were the days when the whole world realized, that a ‘single failure’ (human or machinery) on a ship can simply hold the world economy at ransom for days together. When around 350 merchant ships manned by less than 7000 seafarers were stranded, experts quickly estimated the bleeding to the world economy to the tunes of several million every hour!! But very few would have thought of the economic impact of 80000+ merchant ships manned by over a million seafarers if stranded even for an hour. And that is what the world shipping is all about….

On 29th March, when the ship’s whistle of Ever Given sounded louder than ever to symbolise her release, it would have been a soothing music to the ears of the world economy. But for the 20 odd seafarers onboard ‘Ever Given’, it could only be the beginning of another ordeal. The blame game will now unfold as in every marine casualty… the investigation will move on like a pre-scripted screenplay and the vessel with its cargo and crew will be seen as an easy ransom and in all probability, the buck would stop on one man- the Master of the ship. For a ship, registered in Panama, owned by a Japanese shipping company, managed by a German management company, charted by a Taiwanese company, classed with an American Society, insured by a British firm, manned by Indian seafarers, carrying cargo from China to Europe, while transiting an Egyptian canal, piloted by Egyptian pilots runs aground while under the command of an Indian master. Where do we begin and where do we end? Unfortunately, every entity would have an ISM term to hold on to- “Overriding authority of the Master” !! But those who know the real world of shipping would vouch that such ‘authority’ of the master often surfaces only after a casualty and while requesting for relief, provisions, or spares, his authority often ends as an unanswered message to the company.

Mind you, in this case, the Master and his crew had brought this mammoth ship from Malaysia to Suez as safe as any other ship. The only lapse on his part could be that he believed the experience, expertise, and professional skill of the two Pilots from the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) who came to guide him through the tricky canal, which he is unfamiliar with. On the other hand, did the Master have any other option than to accept the mandatory pilotage through the Canal?

Friends, if you trail back through any other maritime casualty, the script could be identical. From shipping company to insurance, every ‘interested party’ in a marine casualty needs a scapegoat to protect their interests and the master and crew happens to be weakest, easiest, and more importantly, the safest option- legally, politically, and financially!! Because ‘crew negligence’ is the safest term in marine insurance or so are the rules made out to be….
We have been seeing this in every marine incident in our memory lane, even during the most high-profile one of all marine casualties, the Titanic. Capt. Smith voluntarily going down with his ship, even though he had every opportunity to save himself, may be considered as the most heroic portrait in maritime history. But for me, it was nothing short of a suicide, knowing fully the ordeal which would have been waiting for him, had he been alive. Heroes die only once- but if he was alive like a coward, he would have been awarded capital punishment many a times by every entity of the society from the media to the legal system. From that perspective Capt. Smith is a hero of all times.

But, Capt. Mathur of Erica or Capt. Mangoras of Prestige- two unfortunate humans on command of the ill-fated oil tankers involved in two of the most infamous marine casualties were not so heroic as Capt. Smith. While the international maritime community praised the Master of Erica for his heroic efforts to save all lives on board till the last moment from the yet un sunk stern of the ship, the Indian Master Capt. Karan Mathur was arrested & jailed in France on the same day itself. His helpless plea telecast all over the world still hounds the International Maritime community even today- Quote: Why am I being jailed? I am not a criminal. I am only operating the ship and did everything possible to save all lives. I am not the one who owned the ship. I am not the one who certified the vessel. What about them? What kind of system is this? Unquote. Capt. Mangoras of Prestige also had the same fate of months of jail term.

Gentlemen, are these isolated cases? Unfortunately, the answer is a firm NO! And more seriously, it is universal in nature, whether in developed, developing, or underdeveloped countries or under democratic, communist, or autocratic political leaderships. We have seen this in the case of Capt. Hazelwood of Exxon Valdes in United States, Capt. Mathur of Erica in France, Capt. Mongoras of Prestige in Spain, Capt. Goel of Kasuga in Taiwan or Capt. Chawla of Hebei Spirit in South Korea.

According to a report submitted to the IMO by the International Federation of Ship Masters Associations (IFSMA), 8% of seafarers and 24% of masters who took part in the survey had faced the threat of criminal charges at one point or another. More alarmingly 90% of seafarers who had faced criminal charges did not get proper legal assistance, while 91% did not get services of essentially required interpreters. 88% did not have their legal rights explained to them and 80% felt intimidated or threatened by the hostile approach of the investigators.

Miles away from their families, in an alien country, amongst the people speaking unheard languages, having no friends or relatives to console or counsel, with no legal system of his country to back, facing hostile interrogations by investigators with no maritime background, spending custodial life with petty criminals and above all not knowing when or whether their ordeal will end; Friends, is there a better example of human rights violation unbecoming of a civilized society than the criminalisation of seafarers who bring them 90% of the essentials to luxuries for their modern-day life?

When we boast of our Indian cultural legacy of humanity and universal brotherhood, is the situation any better for our seafarers in Indian waters? I was personally involved in the investigation of an incident a few years back in the Kerala coast, when a Panama flagged Bulk carrier collided with an Indian fishing boat, in which two Indian fishermen lost their lives. I do not wish to comment on the merit of the case, but reiterate my position that anyone at fault deserves commensurate punishment. But when we paint criminal texture to such incidents, should we not introspect whether it is ethical of a civilized society? For me, an act to become a crime, it needs to have a proven motive behind it. What kind of motive, a Greek Master or a Burmese seaman on a Panama ship on her way from Europe to China, diverted for a bunkering port at Kochi can have against two Indian fishermen whom they might not have even seen or heard of?

Leave alone the human rights of the Greek Master or Burmese seaman involved in the accident, who spent months in jail and over three years in house-arrest, just think of the plight of the remaining innocent seafarers on that fully laden ship which was held up with its entire crew and cargo at the outer anchorage for over 9 months, without a sign-off or shore leave to the crew. Some of them had even completed 18 months on board when the vessel finally sailed out. What about the Seafarers’ Magna Carta- MLC 2006, which India has also ratified? We live in a society that proudly acknowledged the human and legal rights of even a terrorist who ruthlessly gunned down tens of our innocent citizens; but what about the human rights of these poor sailors who were literally in captivity for months for no fault of theirs?

For me, the sea means love, respect, and fear and those who go to sea for their livelihoods and thereby provide service to the entire society deserve our utmost respect, consideration, and protection. Having said this, I also confirm that as a law-abiding citizen, I believe that anyone who deliberately flouts the law deserves to be punished. But let’s not fight this war against the shadows. Let us do not make the poor sailors as human pawns in the political, legal or commercial games of the industry because those innocent humans onboard only know to run the ship and nothing about other dirty tricks of the game.

At least on this Day, let’s be on the side of these unsung heroes of the seas and their families….