The Washington Post website published on March 28, an article entitled to the global risk brought about by the changing container ships, the author is Adam Taylor.Article excerpts as follows:
Large ships may cause big problems.In 2021, the large container ship "Changci" cargo ship was stranded in the Suez Canal, blocking an important trade channel between Europe and Asia.The vessels that were stuck in the dead have received global attention.At that time, people were tired of the epidemic, and the ship proposed a variety of crazy theories.This incident also had an impact on the real world: the average daily traffic of this canal was as high as US $ 10 billion.
This week, another heavy cargo ship "Dali" hit the bridge pile of the Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore, which led to 1.6 miles (1 mile of about 1.6 kilometers).Collapse and sink into the water.The collapse of the bridge affected the trade of Baltimore.In 2023, the foreign cargo throughput of the port was worth $ 81 billion.
Over and larger container ships
These two incidents have been separated for nearly three years, and the place of the accident is about 5,000 miles apart, and it occurs in different circumstances.But they all involve similar giant ships, and such ships have become the pillar of modern global trade.The "Changci" cargo wheel is a large ship with a length of more than 1300 feet (about 0.3 meters) of more than 1300 feet (about 0.3 meters), with a total tonnage of 220,000.The "Dali" cargo wheel is slightly smaller than the "Changci", with a length of about 980 feet and a total tonnage of less than 100,000.
These large ships are very different from the world's first successful container ship.In 1956, a modified ship departed from New Jersey and arrived in Texas.In the past few decades, container ships have gradually increased, but have suddenly increased significantly in the past 20 years, forcing the ports and canals to adjust.The logic of new shipping technology and scale economy means that vessels will become larger and larger.
Francis Scott Bridge opened in 1977 with a cost of $ 316 million, which is a huge infrastructure -even it can't bear the impact of modern container ships.Johns Hopkins University Professor Benjamin Shever said that in fact, no bridge pier can bear the impact of large ships such as Dali "," these container ships are too huge. "
Easy to be affected by geopolitical politics
Modern shipping needs to worry about not only accidents.About 90%of international trade volume is transported through maritime.These giant container ships have crossed many geopolitical hotspots.In these hot areas, participants realized that intercepting one or two vessels can have a global impact that far beyond its initial costs.The scale of the current ship means that a successful rocket or drone attack may make a vessel with a weight of hundreds of thousands of tons unable to move forward.
Last year, after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, after being attacked by a large -scale attack on the Palestinian flying land in the Gaza Strip, the Yemen Hussean Armed Forces began attacking container ships and tankers in the Mande Strait.These attacks effectively cut off the channel leading to the Red Sea, and also cut off the channel leading to the Suez Canal, which led to many freight logistics companies to change the channel and via the southern end of Africa, which extended an average of 10 days.
Global shipping costs have risen.Supply chain experts estimate that if this chaotic state lasted for one year, global consumer goods prices may rise by 2%.
The Mande Strait is just a potential blockage point of global shipping.On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula is the Strait of Holmz.There, the tension between the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards and commercial vessels often intensify.There is also the Black Sea. Since Russia sent Ukraine in February 2022, it has been able to block a large number of Ukraine food transportation.
Like the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal is also increasingly regarded as a hidden concern for global trade.Although the latter enables countries from America to quickly pass a shortcut, it has rely on precipitation and has been limited by drought for several months.
Multi -country operations are not uncommon
In many ways, giant container ships may be a symbol of our era.The "Dali" cargo ship enters the US port, but this ship was built by a modern Korean company. It was driven by a group of Indian crew members and belonged to a Singaporean company.Essence
This kind of ship is operated by multiple countries. It is not uncommon.Last month, the Houthi Armed Forces attacked a vessel drove from Saudi Arabia to Bulgaria and transported tens of thousands of tons of chemical fertilizer.At that time, the organization claimed that the ship was British and therefore belonged to the Israeli ally.The cargo ship named "Rubimal" later sank.But the only connection between the British and Ruby Margers is that a maritime database lists an apartment in Southampton, UK as the address of its owner.
These opaque multinational systems are the result of the rapid development of globalization.Globalization has led to rapid economic growth in recent decades.But this system does not always look good.In 2022, the American "Freight Inspur" company Rachel Premack wrote that in addition to the risks such as hitting the bridge, stuck the canal, and being attacked by militants, these giant ships also represent the lack of competitive oligarch monopoly.(Compiled/Hu Jing)
