Move a giant container ship in the Suez Canal. The parameters of the engineering problem are named

At the points where the container ship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal, two dredgers are carrying out excavation work: to improve the buoyancy of the vessel, sand is pumped out from the bottom under its “bow”. This was reported by the press service of the channel.

Calculations show that for a draft of 12-16 meters, which will allow Ever Given to move to the correct navigation position, at least 15,000 – 20,000 cubic meters of soil must be removed.

The dredgers are assisted by four ground excavators, which look dwarf next to the huge ship. Click to open full size:

So that the situation does not worsen, nine large tugs with an effort of 160 tons each are trying to keep the container ship in the right position.

Technical advice is provided by the Netherlands-based company SMIT, which specializes in the field of rescue at sea.

REFERENCE… The Suez Canal is a lockless shipping canal in Egypt since 1869, connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Length – 160 km, width along the water surface – up to 350 m, along the bottom – 45-60 m, depth – 20 m.This is a conditional border between two Africa and Eurasia, as well as the shortest waterway between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean … The first prototype of the channel was dug in the second millennium BC. e.

• On March 23, 2021, Ever Given (the owner of the shipping line – Evergreen), one of the largest container ships in the world, ran aground in the Suez Canal. Traffic on the canal, which is one of the main trade routes in the world, has been blocked since March 25. As of March 26, more than 200 ships are in traffic.
• Operating companies will re-plan delivery routes from Asia – bypassing the African continent. This will lengthen the path by 8000 km.
• According to engineers, the ship will be able to move in a couple of weeks at best.