.png)
''' '' GLOBAL GULP
GLOSSY '' ''' : TRADE
NOT THAT THIS WAS MINOR CRISIS. Shipping is still the primary means of moving things around the world, and the 150-year-old trench through Egypt is a critical shortcut between East and West.
IN 2019, almost 19,000 ships made passage with about 1.25 billion tons of cargo, including some 15 percent of the world's container shipping capacity.
An estimated $9.6 billion worth of freight passes through the canal daily in normal times; other losses included $95 million in revenue for Egypt, plus disruption of supply chains and shipping schedules for months to come.
EVER GREEN IS OWNED BY A JAPANESE company - operated by a Taiwan company, registered in Panama and managed by a German company.
The Taiwanese company, Evergreen Marine, has 11 ships the size of Ever Given, all their names beginning with ''Ever G.''
But that's not what it was about for most folks; what generated the drama was the astounding scale of of the vessel, the biblical echoes of its ordeal and the challenge of figuring out how to pry loose something the size of a prone Empire State Building that had become wedged between the banks of the canal.
The ship is crazy big - the longest aircraft carriers in American service today, the Gerald R. Ford class, is 200 feet shorter than the 1,312 foot, 2-inch Ever Given.
The stuck container ship became the butt of online jokes, but it was in no way a minor crisis '' Ever Given fiasco exposes the fragility of global trade. ''
SOCIAL MEDIA INEVITABLY LIT UP . There were suggestions on how to dislodge the ship. [My ambitious plan to free the boat is to push a huge cotton swab up the canal,'' ''There needs to be considerably less Egypt for this boat to go away]-
Encouraging words for the big ship that couldn't [You are ENTITLED to take up space. If the Suez Canal doesn't have room for you that is the Suez Canal's problem.''] psychological musings [''There was something deeply comforting about the boat being stuck'']-
Fantasies [''imagining some sort of Spartacus moment where all 300 waiting boats charge into the canal at once, clogging it irreparably''] And, when it finally got free, there arose a chorus of disappointment [''PUT IT BACK, PUT THAT BOAT BACK IN THAT CANAL RIGHT NOW''].
ON THE VERY SERIOUS SIDE - THE EVER GREEN has shone a spotlight on many issues on global sea shipping - which still accounts for 70 percent of the total international trade.
Container ships have been steadily growing in recent years, so that the size of Ever Green can't fit into the Panama Canal only barely squeeze through the Straits of Malacca.
Yet bigger and bigger ships will soon be afloat, all sailing under the curious international mishmash of the way oceangoing shipping operates.
The six-day stoppage also demonstrated how easily maritime choke points can be sealed off, and at what cost, Choke points on sea routes have been a source of conflict through much of history, and the Ever Green demonstrates just how vulnerable they remain.
China, which is hugely dependent on importing oil and iron to fuel its growth, has focused much of its foreign policy in recent years on keeping its trade avenues secure.
This time around, there was no foul play. A burst of powerful wind swung the Ever Green around and wedged it between the banks of the canal. It might have remained there for weeks had it not been for a fortuitous full moon on Sunday, one that raised what's known as a ''spring tide'' because it's when the moon is closest to Earth and causes tides to ''spring'' higher than usual.
According to CNN, it's called the ''worm moon'' by Native Americans because it's also when earthworm trails are most visible, but that's neither here nor there.
The Honor and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on Times and Tides, continues. The World Students Society thanks author Serge Schmemann in the Editorial Observer.
With respectful dedication to the Students, professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all prepare and register for Great Global Elections on The World Students Society : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :
''' OH - HO '''
Good Night and God Bless
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Grace A Comment!