When news broke last week that the Ever Given container ship was stranded in the Suez Canal, this newspaper's graphics department began to prepare locator maps showing where the vessel was stuck and size comparison charts to help readers understand the task at hand to free such a massive vessel from the shore.
Many of us find it hard to comprehend units of measurements, so the coda of graphic artists tends to fall into size comparisons, such as buses, buildings and sporting fields. A hectare isn't a measure most of us can easily conjure, for instance, but we can when we learn that it is a little bigger than a football pitch or a little smaller than a rugby pitch. Even the morsel of information that the Ever Given loomed 73 metres over the shoreline didn't help much, whereas describing it as akin to a midrise 15-storey building, somehow does.
So with the Ever Given stuck and the shipping lanes rapidly clogging up around it, infographics artist Roy Cooper started prepping graphics for this 21st century Suez crisis.
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At 400m or quarter of a mile long, the ship is 40m bigger than one of the largest class of cruise ships in the world and around 5.5 times longer than the Airbus A380, the world's largest and most spacious passenger aircraft. He used both examples to compare to the Ever Given in our initial graphic documenting the crisis.
Cooper made a third choice for his chart, picking arguably the most famous ship of the 20th century: the RMS Titanic, which at 269 metres is dwarfed by both modern cruisers and container ships. He made the selection because, even 109 years since its sinking, Titanic remains such a popular culture lodestar and, he said, because it's a "ship people can relate to". Indeed, it is.
The comparison might have been seen as a challenging one, however, for those concerned with the Ever Given operation, because big ships are meant to be the near invisible drivers of the interconnected, just-in-time global economy, not potential symbols of hubris to rival the unsinkable Titanic.
It was also a reminder that too often we only get to know the names of ships through catastrophic events, such as the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that ran aground nine years ago and sank in shallow waters off Italy's Giglio island, killing 33 people. The salvage operation to refloat the vessel and move it to Genoa was eventually completed the following year. The court cases took longer. Other examples include the MV Hoegh Osaka, the car transporter that toppled over in the Solent strait, in the UK, in 2015, or the MV Wakashio, the bulk carrier that leaked tonnes of oil into clear waters off the coast of Mauritius only last summer.
A replica of the Titanic at the 2018 Boat Show in Abu Dhabi. The Titanic continues to capture people's imagination more than a hundred years after it capsized. Victor Besa / The National
The Costa Concordia lies on its side next to Giglio Island before being rolled off the seabed and onto underwater platforms. The cruise ship capsized and partially sank in 2012. Reuters
The Ever Given's story turned decisively on Monday morning, when information filtered through that the rescue and refloat operation had been successful, although a tense and contradictory few hours followed as high winds hampered the procedure and initially pushed the vessel across the canal back to where it had been stuck in the first place.
Eventually, however, the ship was freed and towed away for inspection. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi called the refloating effort one of “massive technical complexity” and said the world could “rest assured about the passage of goods through this pivotal shipping route".
Once the backlog of shipping begins to subside and the investigations as to how this happened have concluded, the Ever Given may well slip quietly back into working the seas, saved from eternal infamy by the tireless work of the rescue and salvage crews that amassed on the canal and its banks over the past few days. Supply chains didn't snap beyond repair as was gloomily predicted by some and economies didn't collapse as a result. Normal service is expected to resume in a week or two, possibly sooner.
We should be thankful for that. If the name Ever Given had remained at the top of the news cycle over the next few months, then it would almost certainly only mean that the world was in deep trouble and that a week-long crisis had become a much longer and more complex catastrophe. Of the many reasons that the Costa Concordia remains a powerful emblem of disaster even now is that, for a period, it served as a visible and physical symbol of Europe's gathering economic problems in the early 2010s. The Ever Given has been spared a similar fate thanks to those rescue crews.
There is one final comparison to be made for the Ever Given, this time from April 2010.
Back then a major incident disrupted global air travel for more than a week and even left the singer Tom Jones stuck in Abu Dhabi for days after appearing in concert in the capital when flights to Europe were grounded.
One suspects the Suez episode was similarly fleeting, although news of a volcano erupting outside Reykjavik this month and disrupting some air traffic from the Icelandic capital's international airport brought memories of 2010 flooding back.
Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National
A volcanic eruption is seen near Fagradalsfjall, a mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland. Reuters
Fannar Jonasson (L), mayor of the town of Grindavik, speaks to a rescue team member in Grindavik, Iceland, during the eruption of a volcano near Fagradalsfjall, a mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Reuters
Rescue personnel work at the rescue team station in Grindavik, Iceland, during the eruption of a volcano near Fagradalsfjall, a mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Reuters
A volcanic eruption is seen near Fagradalsfjall, a mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Reuters
In this still image captured from a hand out video, filmed by the Icelandic Coast Guard, lava flows from the erupting Fagradalsfjall volcano some 50 km west of the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. AFP
In this still image captured from a hand out video, filmed by the Icelandic Coast Guard, lava flows from the erupting Fagradalsfjall volcano some 50 km west of the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. AFP
The red shimmer from magma is seen coming out from the erupting Fagradalsfjall volcano as an emergency vehicle close the road to the area near the town of Grindavik some 40km west of the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. AFP
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
New UK refugee system
A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE) Where: Anfield, Liverpool Live: BeIN Sports HD Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
Two for Africa Group
One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
UAE
Albania
Brazil
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
