[paraclete]

Hmmm time to put on the conspiracy hat again.

China and Iran sign a major economic deal reported yesterday...this right after a massive cargo ship runs aground in the Suez blocking Western access to ME oil .

Iran and China sign 25-year cooperation agreement | Reuters

Iranian Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, proposed activating a shipping line that passes through Iran as an alternative to the Suez Canal.

Iran proposes alternative shipping line to Suez Canal (aa.com.tr)

​

has anyone pointed out there are some high mountains in the way of that route, might as well build a road

[paraclete]

Not far but it has moved, good news for someone anyway

[talaniman]

The wind beached it, the tide unbeached it. Man watched.

[tomder55]

Iran thinks it is a viable route but besides mountains ;the route employs passage through the Artic Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, East Siberian Sea, Chukchi Sea, and partially the Bering Sea in the Pacific Ocean.

[paraclete]

What are you talking about, it is the Caspian route?

The wind beached it, the tide unbeached it. Man watched.

Not entirely true

[jlisenbe]

the tide unbeached it.

Yep. That's not correct at all. If man had just "watched", the ship would still be blocking the canal.

[tomder55]

[jlisenbe]

I sure thought the Suez Canal was bigger than that!! 8D

[paraclete]

so did joe

[paraclete]

https://www.news.com.au/national/bre...164d47386382f7

the Ever Given has been seized by Egypt, apparently the Japanese owners don't think they should compensate Egypt in any way. the claim is $900 million so there she stays with $7 billion in goods which is a lesson to shippers, don't put your container on the biggest carrier. What price China's Belt and Road now, the alternative must be looking good

[talaniman]

No doubt they'll eventually hash it out!

[paraclete]

No they will make a hash of it while they smoke their hash

[tomder55]

What price China's Belt and Road now, the alternative must be looking good

lol maybe we should put freight on the back of the camel .

There is too much reliance on freight transportation by road already .

It was a freak accident . I don't know exactly the liability laws . Seems to me that Egypt is holding the ship and freight as hostage .

[paraclete]

lol maybe we should put freight on the back of the camel .

There is too much reliance on freight transportation by road already .

It was a freak accident . I don't know exactly the liability laws . Seems to me that Egypt is holding the ship and freight as hostage .

no the ship was salvaged, there is a bill, no doubt subject to negotiation, this wouldn't be the first ship seized for costs, my own government has done the same when dealing with recaliciant owners

[jlisenbe]

no the ship was salvaged, there is a bill, no doubt subject to negotiation, this wouldn't be the first ship seized for costs, my own government has done the same when dealing with recaliciant owners

That does seem to make sense.

[tomder55]

salvage aside ;Clete was trying to make the point that this is an example of why land transport of goods is a better option. I disagree ;especially when speaking of an alternative being the Belt and Road . The Silk Road was a sound idea during the days of Marco Polo ;and stayed that way until the Fall of Constantinople . Then the world realized that it needed a reliable movement of goods over the seas .

[paraclete]

Well Tom I sure alternatives will be explored, the Polar route is an erstwhile option but this suggests we should stop building bigger and bigger ships and perhaps make them faster, meanwhile overland routes could be significantly upgraded

[jlisenbe]

salvage aside ;Clete was trying to make the point that this is an example of why land transport of goods is a better option

Land transport would be far more expensive and likely subject to many more hinderances. Bigger and faster ships are a great idea.

[paraclete]

Land transport would be far more expensive and likely subject to many more hinderances. Bigger and faster ships are a great idea.

Until they get stuck in the canal, sunk in storms. Being bigger doesn't mean faster, in fact the biggest ships are slow ponderous beasts. If land transport is so expensive why are there fleets of huge trucks on the highways, Land transport has proven to be fast and relatively inexpensive, the only reason we still use ships is there are no bridges between continents and the infrastructure isn't up to the standard needed

[jlisenbe]

Until they get stuck in the canal, sunk in storms.

Which happens once every bazillion years.

Being bigger doesn't mean faster,

Who said it did?

the only reason we still use ships is there are no bridges between continents

That and the fact that it is FAR cheaper to ship by container ship.