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Transportation

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AndyinPA
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Transportation

#1

Post by AndyinPA »

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/amtra ... r-BB1euUgN
WASHINGTON — Daily service will be restored to long-distance Amtrak trains starting in May, and hundreds of furloughed employees will be called to report back to work as early as next month, the passenger railroad announced Wednesday after Congress passed a pandemic relief package that includes $1.7 billion for the carrier.

Amtrak ended daily service last year to hundreds of stations outside the Northeast as part of cost-saving measures that followed a precipitous drop in ridership and revenue amid the coronavirus pandemic. Most Amtrak long-distance trains have been operating three times a week since October.

The company said it will begin to notify more than 1,200 furloughed employees this month to report to work as early as April.

The $1.7 billion for Amtrak will help the company restore some service that could be critical in luring back passengers amid increased vaccinations. Wednesday’s House vote sent the bill to President Biden, who signed it Thursday.

The additional money is a boost for the railroad, which has not experienced any significant rebound in ridership a year into the pandemic. As of this week, travel on Amtrak is down about 70 percent compared with pre-pandemic levels, Amtrak officials said.
This is news that makes me so happy! It was so hard to set up the trip we have in June because service days were cut. This will make a big difference. I feel pretty confident that this trip is going to happen. The one to Europe in (now) October, not so much.

(Foggy, if you think this should go into Volkanski's thread on Infrastructure, that's fine.)
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
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Volkonski
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Re: Transportation

#2

Post by Volkonski »

Canadian Pacific Railway to buy Kansas City Southern for $25 billion

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/21/canadia ... lion-.html
Canadian Pacific Railway on Sunday said it has agreed to buy Kansas City Southern for $25 billion in a cash-and-shares deal to create the first rail network connecting the United States, Mexico, and Canada, betting on a pick-up in North American trade.

:snippity:

“The new competition we will inject into the North American transportation market cannot happen soon enough, as the new USMCA Trade Agreement among these three countries makes the efficient integration of the continent’s supply chains more important than ever before,” Canadian Pacific Chief Executive Keith Creel said in the statement. “This will create the first U.S.-Mexico-Canada railroad.”

The new and modernized U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact took effect in July last year, replacing the earlier deal that lasted 26 years, and is expected to further foster manufacturing and agriculture trade activities among the three countries.

Kansas City Southern’s board has approved the bid and the two companies have notified the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to seek the agency’s required approval. Canadian railroad operators’ attempts to buy U.S. rail companies have met limited success because of antitrust concerns.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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AndyinPA
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Re: Transportation

#3

Post by AndyinPA »

:thumbsup:
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
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Re: Transportation

#4

Post by Volkonski »

Suez Canal: Ships stuck in 'traffic jam' as salvage efforts continue

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-e ... st+type%5D
More than 230 ships are waiting to enter the Suez Canal, through which all navigation has been suspended.

:snippity:

Specialist salvage companies have been brought in to help refloat the ship, and an adviser to Egypt's president has said he hopes the situation will be resolved within two to three days. But experts have said it could take weeks if the vessel's containers need to be removed.

:snippity:

About 12% of global trade passes through the 193km (120-mile) canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and provides the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.

An alternative route, around the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa, can take two weeks longer.

:snippity:

Another two tugs will arrive by Sunday, when a higher tide is expected.
Meanwhile goods are stacking up at ports because these stalled ships are not arriving to take on cargo.
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AndyinPA
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Re: Transportation

#5

Post by AndyinPA »

I just heard on the local news that it's going to cause a shortage of toilet paper. Lots of wood on that ship.

Not again. :eek:
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
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Re: Transportation

#6

Post by Suranis »

Hic sunt dracones
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Re: Transportation

#7

Post by Volkonski »

With the Suez Canal blocked, shippers begin an end run.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/busi ... &smtyp=cur
Shipowners are beginning to reroute ships bound for the Suez Canal around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, a costly alternative to avoid the logjam of vessels caused by the giant container ship blocking the canal.

:snippity:

When deciding whether to divert, a shipping company will weigh the likely cost of sitting for days outside the canal versus the added time of steaming around Africa. It is not an easy choice.

:snippity:

Already, seven giant carriers of liquefied natural gas appear to have decided to change course away from the canal, according to Kpler.

:snippity:

Mr. Booth figures that it would be unlikely for a ship that is already waiting at the canal to backtrack all the way around Africa. That would mean a nearly six-week journey to reach Amsterdam in the Netherlands compared with just 13 days from the canal.
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Re: Transportation

#8

Post by Volkonski »

Suez Canal authorities need to remove up to 706,000 cubic feet of sand to free the Ever Given

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/25/middleea ... index.html
Rescue teams working to dislodge the giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal have failed in another bid to free the boat, according to the vessel's technical manager.

"Another attempt to re-float the vessel earlier today ... was not successful," Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) said in a statement, adding that more equipment is expected to be brought in to assist further efforts. The US Navy is also planning to send assistance over the weekend.

:snippity:

Dredgers are hard at work removing sand and mud from the bow of the ship -- and they will need to move between 15,000 to 20,000 cubic meters (530,000 to 706,000 cubic feet) of sand in order to reach a depth of 12 to 16 meters (39 to 52 feet), which could allow the ship to float, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said on Thursday. That's approximately eight times the size of an Olympic swimming pool.

:snippity:

At least 160 ships carrying vital fuel and cargo are now waiting to pass through the blocked waterway, according to a senior canal pilot at the SCA. Some ships are deciding to divert their journey around Cape Horn to avoid the Suez Canal blockage -- but they face an extra 3,800 miles and up to 12 days extra sailing time, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.
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Re: Transportation

#9

Post by Volkonski »

AndyinPA wrote: Fri Mar 26, 2021 12:12 pm I just heard on the local news that it's going to cause a shortage of toilet paper. Lots of wood on that ship.

Not again. :eek:
Yep.

Stuck Suez Canal Cargo Ship Might Trigger a Toilet Paper Shortage — Again

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stuck-su ... 09327.html
Brazilian company Suzano SA, the biggest producer of wood pulp, the raw material for products including bath tissue, is warning that the global crunch in shipping containers could start creating supply snags, reports Bloomberg.

“With demand surging for ships that carry ribbed steel containers, the squeeze is starting to spill over to break bulk and threatens to delay the company’s shipments,” CEO Walter Schalka said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Schalka added that he is concerned that the shipping problems are going to snowball and only get worse from here. Significant disruptions to the pulp trade could eventually impact supplies of toilet paper if producers don’t have ample inventories, Bloomberg reports.

:snippity:

According to The New York Times, if the authorities in Egypt are able to free the Ever Given from the channel within two to three days, “the episode will likely prove a minor inconvenience to the shipping industry. Shipping companies generally build in extra days to their schedules to account for delays.”
Three days have passed and the Ever Given has stayed put.
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Re: Transportation

#10

Post by Volkonski »

Image
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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Mrich
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Re: Transportation

#11

Post by Mrich »

This is an interesting tweet thread about navigating the Canal:
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Re: Transportation

#12

Post by Volkonski »

Maritime traffic jam grows outside blocked Suez Canal
A maritime traffic jam grew to more than 200 vessels outside the Suez Canal and others began changing course as dredgers worked frantically to free a giant container ship that has been stuck sideways in the waterway and disrupted global shipping


https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireSto ... itter_abcn
The Ever Given’s location, size and large amount of cargo make the operation more complex, Sloane said. The operation should focus initially on dredging the bank and sea floor around it to get it floating again, rather than unloading its cargo, which could take weeks.

That’s because the clock is also ticking structurally for the vessel, he added.

The longer it takes, the worse the condition of the ship will become, because she’s slowly sagging,” said Sloane, vice president of the International Salvage Union. “So ships are designed to flex, but not to be kept at that position with a full load of cargo for weeks at a time. So it’s not an easy situation.”

International companies are preparing for the effect that the canal’s blockage will have on supply chains that rely on precise deliveries of goods. Singapore’s Minister of Transport Ong Ye Kung said the country’s port should expect disruptions.
There was a worldwide shortage of shipping containers before this happened. Now it is worse. Soon this will disrupt operations at factories worldwide. Typically factories don't have a lot of warehouse space. They need to load their products into containers to make room for new production. If they can't get empty containers then production must slow or stop.

When I was a young contact engineer in a synthetic rubber plant we shipped 1 ton boxes of rubber via container and rail boxcars. Loading was done 7 days a week. As soon as a truck left the loading docks another took its place. Loss of even say 20% of shipping capacity would have forced a plant shutdown within a day or two.
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Uninformed
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Re: Transportation

#13

Post by Uninformed »

“Uri Geller urges you to use mindpower at exactly 11.11 to shift Suez Canal ship”:
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/uri ... e-23804317

:lol:
If you can't lie to yourself, who can you lie to?
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Re: Transportation

#14

Post by Volkonski »

That the ship is sagging means that it is supported at the bow and the stern which press upon the sides of the canal. Ships are designed to be supported by water pressure distributed over the entire submerged area of the hull. If the ship is still stuck when there is an unusually low tide it might suffer a serious structural failure.

Think of a sheet cake. Pick it up on a tray, no problem. The entire bottom of the cake is evenly supported. Try picking it up off the tray with one of your hands on each end and it will crumble at the center.

Those responding need to dig out under (at least) the bow as quickly as possible to get the ship afloat.
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Re: Transportation

#15

Post by Lani »

Fact check: No evidence of Hillary Clinton link with ship stuck in Suez Canal, trafficking

A shipping vessel that could clog the Suez Canal for weeks is the latest piece added to an ever-evolving conspiracy theory about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other members of a so-called “deep state” and links to human trafficking.

Communications channels where QAnon conspiracy theories spread were humming this week about a connection between Clinton and the quarter-mile-long ship that ran aground as high winds cut across the canal.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/fac ... 014647002/
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Re: Transportation

#16

Post by bill_g »

Karnac predicts future vessels this large will be prohibited.
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Re: Transportation

#17

Post by Volkonski »

Just when you think the RWNJs have reached the possible limits of stupid they become stupider. :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
Lani wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 8:56 am Fact check: No evidence of Hillary Clinton link with ship stuck in Suez Canal, trafficking

A shipping vessel that could clog the Suez Canal for weeks is the latest piece added to an ever-evolving conspiracy theory about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other members of a so-called “deep state” and links to human trafficking.

Communications channels where QAnon conspiracy theories spread were humming this week about a connection between Clinton and the quarter-mile-long ship that ran aground as high winds cut across the canal.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/fac ... 014647002/
“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
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Re: Transportation

#18

Post by Volkonski »

Thousands Of Animals Packed On Ships In Suez Canal Backup: Reports

https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/livestoc ... &tsrc=twtr

Mary Papenfuss·Trends Reporter, HuffPost
Sat, March 27, 2021, 8:27 AM·2 min read
Bloomberg estimates 10 ships stuck in and around the canal are carrying livestock; The Guardian reported that tracking data show that at least 20 ships are transporting animals. Most of the animals are believed to be sheep, but some ships could also be carrying cattle.

The ships now face major delays as the container ship Ever Given remained wedged in Egypt’s narrow canal Saturday after running aground on Tuesday. Dislodging it may take at least a week.

Ships carrying livestock usually bring enough food and water for just a few extra days, sources told Bloomberg. Then ships either have to head to a port for extra feed, or arrange to have another vessel unload supplies. Ships could also try to sell the animals quickly in a nearby country.

“I wouldn’t expect just after a two-day delay for a problem to have built up,” Peter Stevenson, chief policy officer at animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming, told Bloomberg. “It’s as time goes by that the problems get worse. Occasionally, there are real scandals when things go wrong, but it’s a day-to-day horror.”
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Re: Transportation

#19

Post by MN-Skeptic »

Referring to the stuck ship in the Suez Canal, one Twitter user asked if they had tried butter. :lol:
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Re: Transportation

#20

Post by Volkonski »

Efforts to dislodge stranded Suez Canal container ship intensify as backlog grows

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/27/africa/s ... index.html
The pilot -- who is not authorized to speak to the media but works for the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) -- believes that several factors are now contributing to the anticipated success of the rescue operation including the near completion of the dredging work, the expected high tides and the availability of powerful tug boats.

High tide, expected at 10 p.m. local (4 p.m. ET), is an important factor in the rescue operation. Several other attempts over the past few days have failed.

:snippity:

Authorities say they have managed to remove almost 706,000 cubic feet of sand to free the Ever Given.

:snippity:

Around 9,000 tons of ballast water have been removed from the ship, Rabie said, with the dredging taking place during low tides while 14 tugs worked during high tides. Rescue teams managed to temporarily restart the rudder and propellers on Friday night before a low tide stalled their efforts, he said.
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Re: Transportation

#21

Post by Estiveo »

Estiveoshot_20210327_113727.jpg
Image Image Image Image
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Re: Transportation

#22

Post by AndyinPA »

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... id=DELLDHP

The United States has offered assistance to Egyptian officials to help dislodge a large cargo ship that is stuck in the Suez Canal, the White House said Friday.

"As part of our active diplomatic dialogue with Egypt, we've offered U.S. assistance to Egyptian authorities to help reopen the canal. We are consulting with our Egyptian partners about how we can best support those efforts," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing Friday afternoon, when asked about the situation. "Those conversations are ongoing."

Psaki did not offer further details on the assistance offered. CNN is reporting that the U.S. Navy is preparing to send a dredging assessment to the canal to advise Egyptian authorities on how to dislodge the vessel.

"We have offered, and stand ready to assist Egypt, and will look to support any specific request we receive," Pentagon spokesperson Commander Jessica L. McNulty said in a statement. "We continue to monitor and assess the situation, but have nothing to provide on any potential specific support at this time."
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Re: Transportation

#23

Post by Volkonski »

Container line CMA CGM says diverting some ships away from Suez Canal

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egyp ... ce=twitter
Container shipping group CMA CGM said on Saturday it has decided to divert some vessels around the Cape of Good Hope due to the suspension of traffic in the Suez Canal.

In a website update, French-based CMA CGM listed two vessels that would be initially diverted, adding it was also considering alternative maritime, rail or air routes for cargo yet to be loaded.
With over 320 vessels waiting at the canal it will take a week or more to clear the queue once the Ever Given is moved. This makes it easier to decide to divert vessels around Africa.

Also-

Syria says rationing fuel as shipments delayed by Suez canal blockage

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-egyp ... ce=twitter
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Re: Transportation

#24

Post by Suranis »

Image
Hic sunt dracones
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Re: Transportation

#25

Post by pipistrelle »

Maybe ships shouldn’t be that yuge.
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