On Monday, the 200,000-ton Ever Given was finally unstuck from the banks of the Suez Canal. For the past week, the container ship had been blocking one of the world's busiest waterways, causing oil prices to rise and shipping companies around the world to frantically reassess their operations. The incident was holding up almost $10 billion in maritime trade a day. With the crisis now over, logistical workers can bid farewell to one of the strangest incidents that they have dealt with since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Comically, almost as soon as news broke of the Ever Given's release, #putitback started trending on social media, showingthe 150-year-old Suez Canal to be a surprising stage for a global spectacle.
The Ever Given is now free and normal service resumes on the Suez Canal, albeit with a big queue. AFP
Even as the vessel takes to open water, the story is not over
The Suez Canal is arguably the world's most important artificial waterway. It began as the ambition of a French diplomat and Egypt's ruling family in the 19th century. In the mid-20th century, the UK, France and Israel failed in an attempt to recapture it after the leader of Egypt's independence movement, Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalised the passage. Nasser's victory made the canal a symbol of Egyptian independence, and a symbol of so many decolonisation movements to come. Now, the waterway enjoyed once again a moment as the world's most captivating story, during a year when breaking news has been mostly about illness, economic uncertainty, war and injustice. For a week, an entirely mundane piloting error – or a slightly too strong gust of wind, depending on what investigators conclude – created a measure of chaos normally reserved for more nefarious acts of geopolitics.
Delays and challenges are common in shipping. The vast majority of "crises" are the fodder of industry wonks, and a bore to everyone else. In the fog of tight timetables, international supply chains and thousands of private companies, what goes on in ports and international waters is important, but tedious.
But other crises in the shipping sector are universally distressing. The National has written, for example, about the hardship that mariners have faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, as a growing number of companies around the world are going bankrupt, which can, in extreme cases, lead to sailors being stranded at sea in legal limbo. In other cases, PPE and other medical supplies have gone undelivered, escalating international tensions and undermining the fight against the pandemic.
The plight of the Ever Given was a crisis wedged firmly in between. The public response included concern, fascination and even laughter, but the world was also reminded that the mechanics of something so important as the global economy can hinge on even the smallest details.
The beginning of this saga was unprecedented and captivating. The middle was a race against time. And the conclusion seemed definitive, after a combined effort from Egypt and international partners, as well as 15 tugboats and a lone digger. Even as the Ever Given takes to open water, however, the story is not over. There will be investigations and fierce legal battles that could drag on for months, if not years, as the shipping company and the Canal Authority wrangle to assign responsibility. The end lesson may simply be that accidents happen. But even that will teach the world something.
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
