Big boat got stuck.

June 16, 2021 11:42 AM

Sail away. A brief but delightful tribute to the Evergreen Ever Given. (SLYT)
posted by Kat Allison (17 comments total)

She'll always be stuck in our hearts*

(*hardly my own joke, but still the best one about the Ever Given)
posted by chavenet at 12:11 PM on June 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

$550,000 worth of Snuggy Blankets are still stuck on the Ever Given.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 12:32 PM on June 16, 2021 [4 favorites]

That was adorable
posted by travertina at 12:40 PM on June 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

I hadn't read/thought about this in a while but all the dancing and cheering at the end of that video made me wonder: Are most of the crew still stuck aboard while all the legal disputes get hashed out?
posted by heyitsgogi at 1:01 PM on June 16, 2021 [4 favorites]

Amazing from the Snuggy article:

Companies could be forced to pay the SCA for damages under a legal principle first developed in ancient Rhodes called "general average," which requires a ship's customers to share the costs of a failed voyage.

posted by clew at 1:21 PM on June 16, 2021 [4 favorites]

By weird coincidence, I just read this article: How 'Chaos' in the Shipping Industry is Choking the Economy, which touches on the Ever Given situation as a small part of the problem.
posted by nubs at 1:41 PM on June 16, 2021

Orinoco no flow?
posted by dannyboybell at 1:55 PM on June 16, 2021 [3 favorites]

> Are most of the crew still stuck aboard while all the legal disputes get hashed out?

After the Six Day War, there were fifteen ships stranded in the Suez Canal due to mines and scuttled ships. They became known as the Yellow Fleet due to their discoloration from the sand, and they were stuck there for eight years (June 1967-May 1975). Most ships' crew stayed on board for the first two years before it was determined that nothing was going to happen for a long time, so skeleton crews were established to maintain the ships, most of the original crews left and people were transported in and out to serve three-month rotations for the subsequent six years. There are some fascinating personal stories about the event in an episode of the 99 Percent Invisible podcast.
posted by ardgedee at 1:56 PM on June 16, 2021 [8 favorites]

I was so glad to see Grady of Practical Engineering making an appearance (or at least his hand). Very fun tribute!
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 4:41 PM on June 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

This was so great. I smiled.
posted by Joe in Australia at 7:22 PM on June 16, 2021

That "Chaos in the Shipping Industry" is from NPR and contains the word "clusterfest".
posted by joeyh at 9:56 PM on June 16, 2021 [3 favorites]

Re: General Average

“Ever Given Owner Declares General Average : Cargo Shippers Will Contribute to the $916M Compensation”—Chief MAKOi, 03 May 2021
posted by ob1quixote at 10:57 AM on June 17, 2021

This CBC interview with Lloyd's List journalist David Osler with is pretty fascinating.

Starts at 48:50

Don't get caught in Egypt with your plimsoll line uncovered, or something.
posted by sneebler at 7:39 PM on June 18, 2021

Was there a billion dollars worth of cargo aboard? Does GA mean you can be on the hook for more than the worth of your actual cargo?
posted by tavella at 12:38 AM on June 21, 2021

Answering my own question -- probably? Assuming it was fully loaded with 20k containers, it would be an average of 50K per container, and while some that are filled with dollar store merchandise are probably under it, I assume the ones with a bunch of electronics would keep the average above. Still, that's got to be a large proportion of the value, and for cargo that may be useless by the time they are able to get it months late.
posted by tavella at 2:25 PM on June 21, 2021

I don't think that a shipper can be on the hook for more than the value of their cargo. The point of the GA is to balance losses caused by the necessary jettisoning of cargo amongst all the people shipping cargo. I.e., if the sailors have to jettison a load of anvils during a storm, and the anvils amount to 10% of the value of the ship's cargo, that 10% loss of value is apportioned among everyone shipping cargo, even though your own shipment of helium balloons was perfectly safe. It shouldn't extend to external losses or losses born by the ship itself.

But, IANAL.
posted by Joe in Australia at 8:20 PM on June 21, 2021

Ever Given is on the move. Officials did not reveal details on the terms of the settlement. At first, the Suez Canal Authority had demanded $916 million in compensation, which was later lowered to $550 million. In addition to the money, local reports said the canal would also receive a tugboat.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 4:27 PM on July 7, 2021