The Suez Canal Disaster – What does it teach us?

The Suez Canal Disaster

What does it teach us?

A one-of-a-kind human-made waterway which shortens the maritime route between Europe and Asia was once again in the midst of a controversy. No prizes for guessing, Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ship went aground and literally blocked the Suez Canal for close to a week. While the losses are pegged at close to USD 9 billion, the teachings are aplenty.

So, coming straight to the point, what does the recent Suez Canal disaster teach us? A lot I must say.

• Plan B

Always have a Plan B no matter how true, perfect or obvious your first choice, the Plan A looks like. You should always have another plan to fall back to when things don’t work out the way you imagined.

In terms of the Suez Canal, it would have been better if there was an alternate route to the Suez Canal or even a detour; least the canal is blocked for any reason whatsoever.

• Size doesn’t matter

Whether it is a ship, a mountain, or even an authoritative figure, size doesn’t matter. This is to say that it doesn’t matter how big or small you are physically, how up or down the ladder is your position, or even how tall you stand financially. Things can go awry anytime without any intimation.

While people are talking about the size of the ship which led to it being stuck, it could’ve happened with a less bulky vessel as well.

• Build relationships

Humans weren’t born as a solitary creature. Building relationships is important not only for the rainy day, but also to recharge you emotionally, to enhance your knowledge base, and also to help you nurture as a better version of your own self.

What helped Ever Given to pull out from the crisis and once again be afloat was a joint international effort.

There is a lot to learn from any and every incident in life. The only ask is to keep oneself receptive to ideas and new knowledge. The recent Suez Canal crisis taught us a zillion things. I have penned a few but there might be more lurking just round the corner.