Sonntag, 28. März 2021

Vessels as a weapon?

The current situation in the Suez Canal immediately reminded me of an interesting study from September 2008 by Christopher D. Epp at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey: Protection Against A Ship As A Weapon.

This investigation is, among other things, about the defense against terrorist attacks carried out with ships.

One could now speculate whether the incident with the Ever Given was deliberately executed. If you consider the consequences, then it could have been a test run. Anyone who controls such shipping routes can achieve a lot and exert pressure. A risk analysis of individual bottlenecks in this world - there aren't too many - is definitely worthwhile. 


It is not for nothing that China tries to lease ports forever or to buy them in full. And so Beijing is interested in controlling canals. I only remember the Panama Canal.

As I said: It is a mind game and you can expect that after the current incident in the Suez Canal there is still a lot to be worked on.