Modern-Day Shipwreck
In 2021, a 220,000-ton vessel named Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal. It is still somewhat unclear whether it was a sandstorm, an unexpectedly high tide, or human error that caused this gigantic boat to wedge its way into the outer banks of the canal. According to Richard Meade, the editor in chief of Lloyd’s List, the issue could be simply summarized: “This is a very big ship. This is a very big problem.”
He wasn’t exaggerating.
The stuck cargo ship caused a tremendous waterway traffic jam. It was said to have held up $10B in trade each day until it was finally released the following week. But the 1,300-foot cargo ship (carrying nearly 20,000 containers) needed a salvage team to calculate complicated questions regarding engineering, physics, meteorology, and earth science to free it.
According to the New York Times, “If the tugboats, dredgers and pumps were unable to get the job done, they would have been joined by a head-spinning array of specialized vessels and machines requiring perhaps hundreds of workers: small tankers to siphon off the ship’s fuel, the tallest cranes in the world to unload containers one by one and, if no cranes are tall enough or near enough, heavy-duty helicopters that can pick up containers of up to 20 tons — though no one has said where the cargo would go. (A full 40-foot container can weigh up to 40 tons.)” The full article is here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/29/world/suez-canal-stuck-ship)
To a lay person like me, it seemed from the online photos that it was an easy physics push-pull problem to solve. But what was unclear was how deeply wedged into the sand the ship was, making it impossible to maneuver it without the help of diggers, tugboats and the rising tides. When the sun and moon are in alignment — as was the case with the full moon that week — their combined gravitational pull results in exceptionally high tides. On Sunday, water levels rose 18 inches above normal in the Suez. This presented a very tight window that the crews had to work within: each time the tide rose, the 220,000-ton vessel stood a better chance of becoming buoyant, and the dozens and dozens of tugboats sent to help with the rescue were able to use tidal forces to help them free the ship. And by early afternoon they had succeeded, with the ship once again fully afloat.
Last year, it was said that 18,840 ships traversed the canal without an accident. Unfortunately for the crew aboard the Ever Given, last week’s mishap caused a global backup of hundreds of cargo ships, forced many of them to ‘take the long way around’ (which cost up to $26,000 more in fuel per day per ship), and the traffic jam was so epic it could be seen from satellites in space!
I know this story is dramatic, and its impact was felt across the world in terms of trade, cargo and cost. Yet the more I read about this story, the more I cannot help but think about the captain and the crew: How were they feeling that week? What if this mess was partially caused by a small human error on their part, and when the final investigation is complete, we learn that they are the ones to blame for this colossal cluster?
Have you ever made a mistake, and found that it totally snowballed beyond anything you could have imagined? Have you ever felt like the captain of the Ever Given, where your slight miscalculation led to a complete disaster?
I think about a friend of mine who had the creative foresight idea to bring a huge community together last year for a one-hour inspirational webinar in the middle of the pandemic. She had pulled strings to get a very famous keynote speaker booked for her event. Guests were so excited about the opportunity, they paid their registration fee, and 1,000 people logged on for the Tuesday presentation. It was going to be a life-changing moment in her consulting career and really put her on the map as a thought-leader and curator of great content. She had tested her technology, confirmed and reconfirmed her guests, was beyond thrilled when hundreds and hundreds started entering the Zoom room. The only person not on the call was the keynote speaker. That’s when she suddenly realized— obviously too late—she had confirmed him for Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Her webinar instantly became a complete… well… a shipwreck.
If this has ever been you— where you’ve managed to miscalculate just enough to wedge your own proverbial cargoship into the canal banks and get completely stuck— cut yourself some slack. We all make mistakes, some albeit larger than others. Sometimes we have to be humble and ask for help.
More importantly, if you have ever witnessed this happen to someone you know, maybe one of your employees, a friend, or even a stranger, did you do anything to help them? Did you watch from afar and comment what a mess they had gotten themselves into, but offer nothing in terms of support? Or were you like the excavators and tugboats who did their small part to collectively pitch in and help fix the disaster with a coordinated group effort?
Next time you witness a colossal cluster— whether it’s your fault or someone else’s— give grace. Remember we are all human and we certainly have all made mistakes. And then quickly mobilize your resources to pitch in, do what you can, and help avert the crisis.
This Week’s Resources
Happy Holi
This week marks the celebration of Easter Sunday for Christians as well as Passover for Jews. But did you know that Sunday March 28th through Monday March 29th also marked the celebration of Holi, a Hindu festival of color? Holi celebrates the concept of the triumph of good over evil. Children and adults await with great anticipation for Holi, also known as the Festival of Spring. The Holi season also suggests the beginning of everything new and fresh, which often raises people’s hopes and spirits. To understand how special Holi can be, read a very personal account here for some beautiful storytelling: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/festivals/what-is-holi-festival-of-colors
#TheBestJamRide
If you have a Peloton bike, please join The Jamrog Group on Friday April 9th at 7:30am for a group ride. Our goal is to gather as many people as possible using the hashtag #TheBestJamRide. We will all join in this 30 minute prerecorded class: from Tuesday December 8th, 2020 Pop Ride with instructor Tunde Oyeneyin.
As I sit here thinking about final Easter Sunday dinner details, I am reminded that we all have our own traditions and celebrations happening this week. Wishing you a belated Happy Holi, Chag Sameach, and Happy Easter.
