Media
The most well-known ship of 2021, and why we adore it
Unless a ship sinks, ships are rarely discussed. Ships have been the drivers of human migrations, economy, trade, and culture for thousands of years, but we don’t pay them much attention. They simply go about their business, ruling the planet in silence.
The month of March 2021 was an outlier. It was a time when a ship became trapped and virtually the entire world took notice. And what a location to become stuck in.
On March 23, 2021, the Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships, became caught in the Suez Canal, and since the Suez Canal is so narrow, the stopped ship blocked the Canal. That was it; a ship had become stranded, and a large portion of global trade had come to a halt. That’s when the rest of the world took notice.
It wasn’t all the fault of the poor giant. A sandstorm occurred just as the ship was crossing the Canal, and the ship went aground on a sandbank due to a strong gust of wind.
The Suez Canal is responsible for 12% of global trade, therefore it’s a terrible place to get stalled. According to estimates, the block was holding up items worth $9.6 billion dollars every day, or $400 million per hour.
The ship became the world’s favourite news and meme fodder of the year while trapped. After all, history isn’t written by well-behaved, disciplined ships.
To liberate the 200,000-ton cargo ship, it needed every tugboat in the area, a large number of ocean salvage specialists, and a lot of effort. However, before the ship was released, a little excavator became well-known.
For a long time, the image of hope, determination, and efforts will remain the little boy digging up sand to refloat the Goliath ship looming before it.
The ship sparked some of the year’s best and most inventive memes.
There’s a website where you can have Ever Given become trapped wherever you want it to get stuck. Why should the Suez Canal have all the fun? The cleverly named website ‘Ever Given Ever Ywhere’ allows you to stick Ever Given everywhere.
After nearly a week, Ever Given was eventually let free. While the Canal was closed, Egyptian authorities proclaimed a state of emergency. They had even filed a billion-dollar lawsuit against the shipowners. Ever Given was stranded, not literally, but legally, in the Great Bitter Lake for months after being refloated while the court dispute raged on.
The ship was finally liberated in July, and it crossed the Canal again in August this year, happily without being trapped. After arriving at the UK’s Felixstowe port on December 27, the world-famous ship has safely crossed the canal a couple of times and is now in the North Sea. It is now en route to Hamburg, Germany.
The Suez Canal is the shortest shipping route between the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, measuring around 120 miles long. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean and is extremely important since, without it, ships would have to circumnavigate the whole African continent before reaching the Indian Ocean, as they did until 1869.
Ever Given got trapped, providing us with some much-needed relief from the Covid pandemic’s never-ending doom. For once, we weren’t talking about mortality, diseases, infections, or hospitals. In other ways, the ship symbolised how the world must keep moving forward, despite the fact that the epidemic is merely a sandbank. It can only slow us down, not stop us.
Let us all hope that global trade will continue unabated in 2022 and that no ships will become stranded.
Airlines may move flights to Navi Mumbai International Airport from summer 2027 as Mumbai airport prepares for Terminal 1 redevelopment.
The Shift
Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has asked 12 international airlines to temporarily shift their flight operations to the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from the summer schedule of 2027.
The move comes as Mumbai airport prepares for the redevelopment of Terminal 1, which will affect its existing flight-handling capacity. Out of 50 international airlines that requested flight slots for the summer schedule, the airport has allocated slots to 38 airlines. The remaining 12 have been asked to consider operating from Navi Mumbai.
The affected airlines operate flights to 14 international destinations, including Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Jeddah, Kuwait City, Muscat, Riyadh, Sharjah, Kathmandu and Dhaka.
According to reports, the proposed shift could affect around five million passengers annually, while nearly 91% of Mumbai airport’s existing passenger traffic will remain unaffected. The Terminal 1 redevelopment project is expected to increase its annual passenger-handling capacity from 15 million to 20 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and is targeted for completion by March 2029.
Mumbai airport has assured airlines that their existing flight slots will be restored after the redevelopment work is completed. The move is aimed at distributing flight operations between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports while maintaining smooth passenger services during the construction period.
Residents question the driver over littering in public, prompting him to clean the stain; video of the incident goes viral on social media.
The Gutkha
A cab driver was confronted by a woman resident for allegedly spitting gutkha on Palm Beach Road in Navi Mumbai. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, showing the driver eventually cleaning the spot after being questioned by residents.
The incident reportedly took place when a woman noticed the driver spitting gutkha on the road near his vehicle. She questioned him and asked him to clean the area. However, the driver initially denied the allegation and refused to take responsibility.
The argument intensified when two security guards joined the discussion and questioned the driver. The woman also pointed out that spitting in public places is punishable and can attract fines.
After initially refusing, the driver eventually poured water from a bottle and cleaned the gutkha stain from the road.
The video, shared on social media by Richa Sameet, has triggered discussions about civic sense and the responsibility of citizens to maintain cleanliness in public spaces.
The incident has also highlighted the problem of people spitting tobacco and gutkha on roads and other public places, despite rules against such practices. Residents have stressed the need for greater public awareness and responsible behaviour to keep Navi Mumbai clean.
20-year-old Tannu Dhobi sustains a bullet injury to her back, while her elder sister escapes with a minor injury; accused arrested within hours.
The Open Fire
A 20-year-old woman is battling for her life after a man allegedly entered a house in Sector 1, Koparkhairane, and opened fire on two sisters on Thursday night.
The incident took place at around 9 pm when Tannu Dhobi and her elder sister, Ritu Dhobi (22), were at home with their mother. The accused, identified as Arjun Chauhan, allegedly barged into the house and fired at the sisters before fleeing.
Tannu sustained a bullet injury to her back, while Ritu escaped with a bullet grazing her ear. Their mother rushed both women to a hospital for treatment. Tannu’s condition is reported to be critical, while Ritu also received medical attention. At the time of the incident, their father and brother, Nitin Pradeep Dhobi, had stepped out for work.
The Koparkhairane police took Chauhan into custody within hours of the shooting. Preliminary investigations suggest that a possible love affair may have led to the attack. However, the exact motive is yet to be established. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the source of the firearm and whether anyone else was involved in the attack.
Mumbai Airport Asks 12 International Airlines to Shift Operations to Navi Mumbai
NMMC Sets Up Special Helplines for Diwali Firecracker Pollution Complaints
Cab Driver Confronted for Allegedly Spitting Gutkha on Palm Beach Road
Nidhi Razdan, fake Harvard professorship, and here is the explanation through her blog.
As the arrangement with Prashant Kishor falls through Rahul Gandhi has gone overseas again and is uncontactable
BSNL reveals all new 4G plans starting at ₹16
-
Fact Check6 years agoNidhi Razdan, fake Harvard professorship, and here is the explanation through her blog.
-
India5 years agoAs the arrangement with Prashant Kishor falls through Rahul Gandhi has gone overseas again and is uncontactable
-
Technology5 years agoBSNL reveals all new 4G plans starting at ₹16
-
Latest News5 years agoGovernment has spent ₹9,725 crores on Covid-19 vaccination drive so far
-
Latest News5 years agoTata wins Air India with ₹18,000 crore bid
-
Latest News5 years agoJharkhand government cuts Petrol price by massive ₹25 a litre but with a catch
-
Latest News5 years agoRaj Kundra Gave ₹25 Lakh Bribe to Mumbai Crime Branch to Avoid Arrest
-
Navi Mumbai6 years agoNavi Mumbai civic body raids and tests morning walkers, many found COVID positive