Why Blowing Up the VESSEL in the Suez Canal Is a Dumb Idea

My dear friend Ajay,

If you have a wound on your finger, will you cut it to solve the problem? Certainly not! In the same way, blowing up the VESSEL blocked in the Suez Canal is a disastrous and non-solution.

Firstly, it is important to understand that the blockage is not intentional; it is an accidental engineering challenge. Destroying the VESSEL would have devastating consequences, spilling its contents, likely including oil, which would take centuries to clean. This action would be hugely harming to the environment and economically irresponsible.

Context and Alternatives

In the cases of runway incursions in major airports, where the runway infrastructure is disabled, dismantling and removing the aircraft as quickly as possible makes the most sense. However, the Suez Canal offers no such 'no alternative' situation. There are always alternative routes available, such as the Cape of Good Hope. Currently, ships are already circumventing the Suez Canal due to its high fees and risks, even as oil prices decline.

From a maritime professional's perspective, the Suez Canal is not indispensable. Over time, it may well become irrelevant. The logistics and shipping industry continue to adapt and find new, more sustainable methods of navigation.

Technical and Practical Challenges

Attempting to 'blow up' 215,000 tons of ship is not only unrealistic but also environmentally destructive. Such an effort would result in 439 million pounds of debris—a massive cleanup operation for someone. Moreover, the ship's contents, including hazardous materials, could permanently damage the canal and surroundings, making cleanup impossible.

Instead, the commonly used method is to make small holes in the hull, allowing the ship to sink in a controlled manner. This method is both safer and more practical. In World War II, even with massive explosions, the ship sank in a manner that could be manageable. The complexities of such an operation in the modern context include multiple stakeholders who might object, including the ship's owners, the sovereign nation's government, and the local population.

Consequences and International Relations

Any attempt to blow up the ship would exponentially worsen the situation and could escalate towards a world conflict. The vessel is not in US territory, so both legal and diplomatic factors must be considered. Local communities could express strong opposition, complicating the situation even further.

Blowing up the VESSEL in the Suez Canal would be not only an environmental catastrophe but also a drastic shift towards international conflict. Instead, calm, controlled, and methodical engineering solutions offer a much more practical and responsible approach to this issue.