On 3/28/2021 10:23 PM, rbowman wrote:


The US exports about 3.5 metric tons of rice out of a total production
of 10.2 million metric tons in 2018. Direct consumption is around 4.2
million metric tons with a lot being used for beer and other products.

The US does import rice, mostly jasmine from Thailand as basmati from
India and Pakistan. Unless the ship is really lost those wouldn't go
through Suez.

History Channel has a bunch of Modern Marvels today and one was about
rice. They showed the Uncle Ben plant where they process 32,000 pounds
an hour. Each kernel of rice is checked by camera and the bad ones
ejected by a blast of air.





Anyway, even in the early '70d he was sailing on container ships. That
sort of put the end to the romantic see the world thing since what you
mostly saw was a container port for a few hours in the middle of the
night when they swapped your containers and then you were gone again.

He was just on the wrong ships. Some will stop for a week in places so
you can study the local history, visit the Pyramids and such.

Last I heard over 300 ships backed up. I wonder what the cost is to go
around instead.

The toll to go through the canal is calculated on tonnage and varies
nort and south, mooring and tugs if required.

Tolls can be a couple hundred thousand.