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Re:Is that ship still stuck? by barbegal on Thursday March 25, 2021 @07:17PM (#26586876)
And how much salt would you need? At least 100kg per m3. Assuming the canal is 250m wide you need a 400m section dammed and average depth is 15m then you need 150 thousand tonnes of salt. Thankfully Egypt produces more than 3 million tonnes of salt per year so just a few weeks worth of production and enough to fill a large bulk carrier ship.
Re:Is that ship still stuck? by Zenst on Thursday March 25, 2021 @07:24PM (#26586935)
I was thinking a few lorry loads on the edge they are trying to pull, just to give it a kick briefly so the tugs can get that initial momentum going. More of a brief sudden kick/change to give it that edge.

With that I don't think with the whole damming of aspect would be any better than damming of and pumping water in. Also with that scale you run the risk when you breach the dam of causing what I'd call a saline tsuanmi which might not work well for the ships in it's path and may well cause another to get stuck.

So, more a form of quick kick to aid in getting the tugs an initial bite and a quick dislodge, however small, would only help and may well tip the balance.

Re:Is that ship still stuck? by dragonwriter on Thursday March 25, 2021 @07:29PM (#26586975)
> a few lorry loads on the edge they are trying to pull

My intuition is that at the scale of ship, and the canal, “a few lorry loads” is not going to have any noticeable effect.

Re:Is that ship still stuck? by nate_meurer on Thursday March 25, 2021 @07:46PM (#26587125)
The ship weighs roughly 100,000 tons. I very large lorry might be five tons. Factor in the static friction of the ship's keel stuck in mud, and the suction opposing any movement.

For kick of initial momentum, I suggest nuclear weapons.

Re:Is that ship still stuck? by nate_meurer on Friday March 26, 2021 @12:07AM (#26588651)
Actually, double that weight. The ship weighs well over 200,000 tons.