'US sends warships, troops to Egypt'

The US is sending warships, including one with 800 troops, and other military assets to Egypt as the revolution in the North African country gains momentum.


http://www.presstv.ir/detail/164038.html

Gotta protect that canal I guess.

Martin Ent Inc wrote: Gotta protect that canal I guess.

Indeed. thereby insuring a steady supply of oil we so desperately need.

From the linked article: "Officials in Washington have stated that the move is to be prepared in case of an evacuation of Americans from Egypt.

Pentagon has dismissed widespread assumptions that military intervention in Cairo is being contemplated, asserting that the objective of the deployment is mainly for the evacuation of US citizens in case the situation in Egypt further deteriorates. "

What I heard on another site:

VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers) and ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carriers) class crude oil tankers dont even fit in the suez.

Martin Ent Inc wrote: What I heard on another site:

VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers) and ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carriers) class crude oil tankers dont even fit in the suez.

Good point. I'll restate my position to broaden it from just concerns about oil to simply concerns about shipping in general. Even if the largest carriers do not fit, "more than 2 million barrels of oil and petroleum products travel through the Suez Canal daily, as do supplies of commodities such as grain."

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/ar ... z1DK7qfvNs

A disruption threatens world economies, and certainly that of the US. And while the US deflects intervention in Chiro, it is not addressing the Suez Canal issue. In this case omission on the topic speaks volumes.

Martin Ent Inc wrote: What I heard on another site:

VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers) and ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carriers) class crude oil tankers dont even fit in the suez.

You are correct, an aircraft carrier going thru at alot of the points you could just about jump off the flight deck and land on the ground. Those oil tankers of today are as wide if not wider than a aircraft carrier but as Rockdoc stated millions of barrels of oil go thru there daily. There is also an oil pipline that goes thru Egypt that is extremely important also. It allows the VLCC'S to transit the canal by offloading half its load to raise it up so its draft is shallow enough to make it through there.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-0 ... -says.html

Interesting note. The cost of transit of the suez canal during my last 2 transits in 94 and 96 were one way for the carrier 495000.00. We took our battle group through with us. And it took a couple of weeks to get us permission to go through. (Nuclear power). The one instance that we had to do an emergency transit back through to get back in the Gulf. President Clinton made a call to President Murbarcks, otherwise we would have had to wait the normal time.

Most of what was sent there is called an MEU, (Marine Expeditionary Unit) that deploys on Navy amphibs, is most likely there to assist in getting Americans out if needed. The group has that capability with the lead ship being an LHA. Smaller verison of the carrier. But those Marines can provide a hellva a punch, just don't think that is what they are there for.